


To Be an Imposter

by Elizabeth_Inkheart



Series: The Skeld Series [1]
Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Black doesnt know how to act on his feels, Black is also sus, Black needs a hug, Character colors are identified by names, Childhood Trauma, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Imposters are aliens, M/M, Orange and Lime are married, Red is sus, Slow Burn, Some angst, The Chef ALWAYS Knows, The Chef Knows, Trust Issues, White also needs a hug, White is in denial, Yellow is a Cinnamon Roll
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 20,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26815252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elizabeth_Inkheart/pseuds/Elizabeth_Inkheart
Summary: Meet Black, the Chief Security Officer and best friend of the famous Captain of the Skeld, White. The two of them have been best of friends for years and are inseparable... But Black has a secret...When the crew are given classified cargo to transport to Polus, a new crewmate arrives that seems to have other hidden intentions... When the ship gets attacked and Black is forced to reveal his secret, will Black be able to keep his crew and his captain safe and still be trusted by those that he loves?
Relationships: Lime/Orange, White/Black (Eventually)
Series: The Skeld Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955758
Comments: 206
Kudos: 364





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, in this story, you can tell who is which color because their names relate to colors somehow. That being said, Captain Henry White wears White, Mr. and Mrs. Citrus are orange and lime green respectively, Purple goes by her first name, Lavender, dark green is named Forrest Evergreen, Fernando Azul is blue (azul is blue in Spanish), Cyan is called Aquamarine because her name is Anna Marie, Brown is named John Brown, pink’s name is Rose, Yellow, the youngest aboard, is named Sonny Goldleaf so they call him Goldie, and Black is named Nigel Blackstone. There is one new person on board the ship and that’s Red. Her name is Cheryl, so everyone calls her Cherry. Each character has a specific role aboard the Skeld that I will be sure to specify in notes at a later time. For the time being, the important roles are specified throughout the story.

When the crew of the Skeld returned to Mira HQ, they are tasked with transporting some confidential materials from Mira HQ to the base on Polus for advanced research. Only the Captain, Henry White, and Head of Security, Nigel Blackstone, were allowed to know what their confidential cargo was.

Captain White looked among his familiar crew members with satisfaction as they were riding the transport ship that would take them to the Skeld. His close friend, Blackstone sat by his side also peering at the crewmembers that the two were so fond of. Mr. and Mrs. Citrus were furiously busy talking all things biology which makes sense since they were the two medical officers on the ship. Lavender was going over star charts with Sonny. No doubt using the advice from the prodigy engineer to plot the most efficient course for the Skeld to take. Rose and Azul were close friends and simply sat and enjoyed each other’s proximity. The one member that caught their eye aside from their usually silent chef, Brown, was the new communications officer Cheryl who insisted on being called Cherry because of her red suit.

Henry glanced over at his close friend who was far more rigid than normal as he stared at Cherry from where the two were seated. Henry smiled under his helmet visor and nudged Blackstone with his shoulder. Blackstone glanced in his direction before relaxing a little. Henry spoke up. “Something on your mind, Stone?” Blackstone relaxed further as he sighed, but his eyes never left the new crewmate. “I’m getting a feeling again, Henry… And I think it’s because of her.” Blackstone gestured with a nod towards Cherry. Henry chuckled before commenting. “As much as I trust your judgement, you seem to be very uptight about this new comms officer. She was super nice when we met her, and you didn’t seem to complain about her when you saw her bright green eyes.” Henry nudged his friend and Blackstone swore he could see Henry raise his eyebrows through his helmet visor.

Blackstone smiled as he shook his head. “I was being polite. You should already know that my loyalty is to you and your ship alone. I have no interest in females.” Henry let out an actual laugh this time as he continued teasing his friend. “Oh come on! I’ve been bugging you for years about what kind of relationship you are interested in and you still wont budge! You gotta give me at least a little something!” Blackstone leaned back into a more relaxed position. “I’ve already told you. Compared to others, my preferences would be quite uninteresting.” Captain Henry folded his arms. “Aw, you’re no fun. I trust you with my life, and the lives of my crew an yet you still hide a lot of your personal self from me.” This time it was Blackstone’s turn to nudge his Captain. “Well you trust me for a reason, don’t you?” The two of them chuckled and reciprocated each other’s satisfaction with their close proximity as the ship continued to rumble up into long range orbit.

Within the next ten minutes, the crew found themselves back on their familiar ship. The chef, John Brown, immediately got to work preparing snacks for the crewmates while the Captain got out his tablet to assign takeoff tasks to the crew members who obediently sat around the middle table in the cafeteria. Mr. and Mrs. Citrus were still eagerly chatting about biology that Blackstone was only half listening to as he scanned the surrounding area with his eyes for anything out of place. Captain Henry permitted some small chatting amongst the crew while they waited for Brown who always insisted on giving the crew sweet snacks before they started their chores. Sure enough, Brown came out a few minutes later with biscuits topped with tomato, oregano, and melted mozzarella cheese. They were like miniature margherita pizzas and the crew loved them. Captain Henry even indulged in a couple which pleased Brown immensely. Blackstone gave a polite pass and just watched as the crew ate their snacks.

Once they were finished, Henry stood up and requested the crew quiet down. The crew did so obediently while the chef quietly gathered up the small dishes to carry them away to the kitchen. Blackstone tuned in on what the Captain was saying while he helped John pick up the dishes. “First things first,” the Captain’s voice announced, “What a wonderful welcome back from our beloved chef John Brown.” The crew broke out into polite applause while Brown took a polite bow before returning to his work. Captain Henry continued talking after the applause died down.

“Alright. Next, I would like to formally welcome aboard this ship our new communications officer, Cheryl.” At the mention of her name, Cheryl stood and waved to her new crewmates with a shy smile on her face. Blackstone stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Cheryl as she spoke. “Hi guys! I’m so excited to work here on the Skeld with you guys! Please feel free to call me Cherry and thank you so much for having me. I can’t wait to get to know each and every one of you!” As she mentioned getting to know everyone, she looked at Blackstone and their eyes met. Cherry’s smile waned ever so slightly before she turned to scan the faces of the rest of the crew. Cherry sat back down and the Captain glanced in Blackstone’s direction who had returned to clearing up plates with the chef.

“Alright.” The Captain continued. “With pleasantries out of the way, it’s time to get to work. I’ve assigned you your takeoff tasks. I understand most of you know what to do but since we have new people here, I decided to give you all tablets for the takeoff procedures just as a precaution.” Crew members began pulling out their tablets and checking their lists of tasks to do before they could leave orbit. “You all have your tasks and know what to do. I expect us done by dinner. Then we’ll sleep and launch early next morning. Dismissed.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as promised, I'll have character names, colors, and their roles on the ship listed at the bottom of this story.

The crew all stood from the central cafeteria table and dispersed. Blackstone, now finished helping the chef, pulled out his tablet and began looking through the tasks he would have to accomplish. Mostly just downloading data, priming shields and checking circuitry. Nothing too major. Captain Henry went over to Goldie and Rose to talk about engineering and navigation. Blackstone grabbed his tablet and pocketed it. He began walking towards the security when he saw a flash of red go to his right. Blackstone stopped and glanced towards the Upper Engine room. Cherry was a communications officer and had no business being in the engine room, but he couldn’t see Cherry in there. He remembered what his Captain said about him being unnecessarily suspicious. Blackstone shrugged. Perhaps he was being too cautious. He continued his way to security room and began his tasks.

Blackstone finished his tasks very quickly, quite possibly in record time, and began circling about the ship to check on the other crew members. He helped Azul with wires and shield calibration, and then helped run some tests with Mr. and Mrs. Citrus in the Med Bay, however he couldn’t say he understood much of it. After having a very pleasant conversation with Lavender, Blackstone poked his head into communications to see the room empty. Cherry wasn’t at her post. He walked in quietly, and checked the computers. Nothing seemed to be tampered. However, the comms were tuned into a frequency that was not MIRA authorized. In fact, the frequency the com was tuned into did not even seem to exist… He’ll have to look into that later.

Blackstone stalked out of Communications when he saw his Captain walk out of Navigation. “Ah, Stone!” Henry said. “I was just about to ask where you were. Everything alright?” Blackstone hesitated for a moment. He knew he should tell his captain about Cherry’s strange behavior but something told him that his Captain would not believe him. So he lied. “Everything is functioning perfectly Captain. Most of the crew are almost finished with their tasks.” He paused for a moment more before finally asking “Well, uh, how are you doing?” The Captain beckoned him to follow him to the cafeteria. “So far, nothing out of the ordinary. I surmise we’ll be able to leave right on time at the rate we’re going.” Blackstone could almost feel his Captain smile at him when he put an arm around the Security Officer’s shoulder.

Blackstone felt at ease in the Captain’s presence and it satisfied him that they shared a mutual trust. The two of them were practically inseparable, and Henry had joked on more than one occasion that Blackstone seemed more eligible to run the ship than him. It was because of this deep trust between them that Blackstone was allowed to know about the secret cargo that was being kept in the Med Bay. It was also because of this trust that Blackstone felt so satisfied and safe. A feeling he did not mutually share with many people. These thoughts and feelings of gratification were all that went through his mind as he and the captain entered Med Bay.

“Alright Citruses, routine inspection. Go ahead and grab some snacks from the cafeteria. We’ll report back to you later.” Mr. and Mrs. Citrus glanced at each other. “Sir we can guarantee that everything is in peak condition.” The captain sighed and shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m bored because my crew is so well behaved that I haven’t inspected rooms like regulation dictates in forever. I might as well do my job properly at least once.” When they glanced at each other again, the Citruses shrugged. “Alright.” Mrs. Citrus said. “If you say so.” The orange and lime green suited crew members left the room talking about captain orders and overall crew integrity as they went to the cafeteria.

Now that they were alone, Captain White and Blackstone marched over to the blank wall and pressed on a panel gently. The panel hissed and clicked open to reveal a safe. Inside that safe was their precious cargo… Imposter DNA samples. Somehow, a live Imposter was found, and samples were taken. Their secret objective was to deliver these samples to authorized personnel on Polus so that MIRA may be able to develop some sort of anti-Imposter software. Blackstone grew tense as he listened to the Captain talk and tendrils of dread were coiling around in his gut. He could blame the shady behavior of the communications officer, but he knew deep down why he actually felt the way he did.

“Can you imagine, Stone? Anti-Imposter software… Finally those godforsaken creatures of bloodlust will be unable to pick us off like cattle.” Blackstone kept his mouth shut. The Captain continued. “Who knows? We might even be able to eradicate them so that they aren’t a problem for anyone else. Now that would be something.” This time Blackstone spoke up in a voice more timid than usual. “Well, Captain, don’t you think that all creatures should have a chance at living? I'm sure that Imposters are just as alive as we are.” The Captain shot Blackstone a look before closing the safe again. “Come on, Stone. You and I both know these things are bloodthirsty creatures of no remorse. You’ve heard the stories. Seen the footage.” Blackstone sighed “Yeah, but what if they’re misunderstood? What if they don’t have a choice?”

The Captain paused for a second, then let out a laugh as he and Blackstone left Med Bay. “Oh, Stone you crack me up! Misunderstood Imposters? As if!” He continued laughing and Blackstone eventually forced himself to laugh with him. The two continued to the cafeteria where crew members, all of them finished with their tasks, were already helping themselves to some dinner while the chef, John Brown, was serving people drinks. The Captain beckoned Blackstone to come and sit at the usual dinner table with the rest of the crew. “C’mon Stone! It’s the first night of a new mission! I don’t care if you aren’t hungry, you won’t skip this dinner.” Blackstone shrugged and chuckled. “Well, alright. Captain’s orders I guess.” He swiped a drink and nothing else from John Brown’s tray then sat down next to the Captain.

The crew laughed as they talked about stories and shared memorable moments with their helmets off. Cherry was getting tons of belly laughs out of everyone including the chef who rarely ever made a sound. Blackstone kept his helmet on and used his straw to drink up the nice drinks that had been served to them. His stomach growled but he forced himself to focus. He answered with polite smiles and gave concise answers. After a few minutes, Captain Henry began telling a story. He watched Captain Henry speak and as he spoke, Blackstone took in the tiny details of his face. His eyes watched as Henry smiled broadly and noticed the creases that framed his smile when he did. He noticed the slightest of dimples near where his cheeks meet his chin, and the ghost like freckles that seemed to glimmer in a certain light.

It was then the Captain turned towards him and those vibrant blue eyes made Blackstone lose sense of his surroundings, which rarely ever happened. What was it about his Captain that was preventing him to focus in such a way? …He didn’t like it.

“Blackstone?”

The Captain’s voice broke him out of his dazed stare and Blackstone couldn’t help but sit straight upright as rigid as a board. “Uh, yeah, sorry I was… ahem… I was thinking about something and just sort of got carried away…” Blackstone felt a sickening feeling of embarrassment coil in his gut which fueled his hunger even more. He stood up suddenly, and the Captain seemed very disheartened at his departure. “My apologies everyone, but I feel I would serve you best if I helped John Brown then retired early to be well rested for the night shift. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your dinner.” The crew waved their goodbyes and goodnights as Blackstone slipped into the kitchen and all but the Captain were able to continue with their conversations. Something in the Captain’s chest ached at Blackstone’s departure and for the life of him, he could not tell what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry White (White) - Captain  
> Nigel Blackstone (Black) - Chief Security Officer  
> John Brown (Brown) - Chef/Janitor  
> Sonny "Goldie" Goldleaf (Yellow) - Chief Engineer Officer  
> Forrest Evergreen (Green) - Engineer Officer  
> Mr. Citrus (Orange) - Chief Medical Officer  
> Mrs. Citrus (Lime Green) - Medical Officer  
> Rose Merriwether (Pink) - Chief Science Officer  
> Fernando Azul (Blue) - Weapons Operator  
> Lavender Braxton (Purple) - Navigation Officer  
> Cheryl "Cherry" Valentine (Red) - Communications Officer  
> Anna-Marie "Aquamarine" Matthews (Cyan) - Shield Operator


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things. First, we get to see what Black's secret is. Second, the Chef speaks!

After helping John Brown with the dishes from the main courses, Blackstone retired to his room. He locked the door. In there he removed his helmet and his suit to relax himself. He was feeling too restricted within the suit. Slowly he sighed and let his arms unwind to reveal the two large tendrils that had been mimicking human arms all day. He stretched out his legs and felt relief as the bones shifted and altered back into their original elongated state. He stretched his back out and felt the spine reshape itself so the bone ridge along his spine reappeared. He rubbed his inky black skin and sighed as his four red eyes stared at the ceiling. He needed to stay as relaxed as possible so that he would not act out on his hunger. He loved this crew. He had been here for years and this hunger was nothing new. He just wished he was used to it by now.

After almost another hour, he finally began to hear voices as they told each other their goodnights. His muscles twitched as he smelled the scent of fresh human flesh in abundance right outside the door. He strained himself and gripped the metallic bedframe to keep himself from lashing out on instinct. As his stomach growled, the mouth that ran down his abdomen opened, and his tongue lashed into the air begging for blood. His body writhed as he fought for control over his instincts and his tendril’s grips were crushing the metal bedframe. The smells and sounds of humans moving right outside his bedroom was making it hard for him to focus. It was getting worse… He needed food…now.

Blackstone took a moment to compose himself. He needed to get to the cafeteria… He unlocked the vent hatch on his bedroom door and pushed himself into the slender shaft. His body naturally squeezed into the slender opening and slid soundlessly through the cool vent. He turned a corner and pushed his way to the grate that he always keeps loose in the kitchen which opens up above the sink in the kitchen. He pushed himself off the wall and dropped to the ground silently. Familiar smells filled his nose. Sauces, spices, baked bread, pastries and… human?

Blackstone turned just as the lights turned on. He froze. Standing at the doorway of the kitchen was none other than John Brown, the chef. Blackstone’s body was frozen with fear. Brown saw him in his natural state. He had to kill him so there were no witnesses. But… He couldn’t just kill John… He was the heart and soul of the ship despite how silent he was. His body was torn between loyalty and instinct, and the inner fight for control left him trembling from head to toe. What should he do…

John stepped forward and Blackstone shied away instinctively. John put up one of his hands defensively. “Its ok!” He said in a gravelly, unused voice. “I won’t hurt you.” John inched forward slowly, then set a large clear bag down on the counter. Inside it was raw meat. Blackstone looked back and forth between John and the bag. John gestured towards the bag. “Go ahead.” Blackstone hesitated for a moment, then within a fraction of a second, the mouth on his stomach opened, his tongue lashed out and struck. To John, the bag of meat was there one second, then gone the next, and it wasn’t until he noticed Blackstone hunched over the pile of meat chomping away that he knew his offer was taken.

The taste of cold meat filled Blackstone’s mouth and almost immediately he could feel the itch to kill subside along with his fear. He forced himself to savor the meat as he ate the pile of uncooked flesh. The blood was watered down yet tasted familiar to him as he chomped his inner rows of teeth into his food. A growl of satisfaction escaped his body as his instinct to kill Brown continued to subside until he was able to clearly focus again. He finished his meal all too soon, and he stood once he was done eating. Brown just watched silently. His features never changed from their relaxed posture. The silence between the two of them was pressing like a heavy weight against Blackstone’s chest. He felt… unsure how to proceed. Just as he was about to formulate what to say, Brown, to his surprise, spoke up instead.

“I – I know you probably don’t fully trust me…” Blackstone stayed silent while the brown suited chef continued in a very hesitant manner. The frills on his head undulated with uncertainty. “But, I promise I won’t report you… As far as you’re concerned your secret is safe with me.” A weight Blackstone didn’t notice seemed to lift off of his shoulders. He took a moment before he asked. “Who else knows?” John, seeing Blackstone’s response as a sign closer proximity was allowed, took a few more confident steps forward as he explained. “No one else on the crew knows aside from me. I had noticed that there was something stealing my raw meat throughout the night and I went to investigate. I knew it was an imposter. I saw this… creature steal meat a few times. I had suspected it was you for a while, but since you sneak here without your suit on, I wasn’t entirely sure. Your early disappearance during dinner made me almost confident it was you, and your voice just now confirmed it.”

Blackstone sighed and relaxed his posture as the now trusted chef approached. This time, it was John who broke the silence between the two of them. “Does the Captain know?” Blackstone involuntarily shrank ever so slightly when he heard the word ‘Captain’ and all he could do was shake his head. Something about the Captain not knowing was making him feel emotional… and he did not know why. John seemed to piece two and two together and gave a reassuring pat on Blackstone’s shoulder before he spoke. “I know the Captain quite well, and I can guarantee you that even though he holds a personal grudge against imposters because of what happened to his father, he is a forgiving man. I’d go so far as to say he is quite actually the most kindhearted human aboard this ship.” Blackstone’s four eyes blinked at John sentence. “What do you mean human?”

John chuckled and looked Blackstone straight in the larger pair of red eyes. “Well to me I figured it would be quite obvious.” Blackstone tilted his head. John elaborated. “Why, with everything you go through to keep us safe from threats, including yourself, I thought you would know that I consider you the kindest aboard this ship.” Blackstone blinked as John just gave him another smile before turning and leaving the cafeteria. Blackstone found himself all alone with the silence harmonizing with his thoughts. John’s kind words made Blackstone feel happy, and hopeful. Hopeful for acceptance. If the chef could be that understanding, then it stands to reason that everyone else will be too… Including the captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a concept drawing of what Blackstone is supposed to look like. If you all want to see, comment down below. I'll be sure to post a picture at a later time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cherry gets caught, acts like a bitch, and gets what she deserves. Keep in mind, this has some violence. You've been warned.

Blackstone left the cafeteria and was headed back to his dorm when he heard a faint noise. The noise was too quiet to be heard by human ears, but it was obviously there… Blackstone instinctively crouched. His senses dialed up to 11 and he could hear the sound again, a bit clearer now. It was coming from the upper engine. Blackstone crept along the ceiling of the passageways on all fours, using the claws on his tendrils to stick to the surface. Once he entered the upper engine room, he noticed a panel on the engine had been removed again. Blackstone looked around the room and noticed nothing else out of the ordinary. He also couldn’t smell any humans in the room either… So the room was empty. However, he had an idea of who it was that had tampered with the engine.

Blackstone silently rushed out of the upper engine room and entered the security room. He shut the doors behind him as he pulled back his desk chair. He sat down at the large array of computer monitors, each of them showing the camera feed of a different location on the ship. He opened up a new tab on one of the monitors and began searching through MIRA HQ archives. If Cherry was who she said she was, her academy records should be accessible to all those ranked Captain or higher. Lucky for Blackstone, he was allowed to know the Captain’s password. Blackstone typed in Cherry’s name, hit search, and waited. After about 30 seconds, the computer screen changed. No Results. Blackstone tried her real name. No Results. Blackstone typed in her ID number. No Results. According to MIRA HQ Archives, Cherry never went to the Academy, let alone graduated and became an officer.

Blackstone pulled up a new tab on his computer and searched Cherry’s real name into the search bar to see what he could come up with. He checked numerous databases and archives from different organizations and national governments. He searched for hours on end to find anything on the mysterious communications officer. However, according to is searches, Cherry never existed in the first place. She had somehow infiltrated MIRA using a fake alias and had assigned herself to this ship… Why? Blackstone kept pondering what was of value on this ship. The Skeld had the highest success rate of any scientific frigate within the MIRA fleet. They could’ve come for information. Captain Henry had a reputation for stopping an alien invasion several years before the creation of MIRA. Someone could be out for revenge. But then why sabotage the engine? Blackstone pondered for another second, then it clicked. It wasn’t just coincidence that a shady person would infiltrate the ship just as the Skeld was being given secret cargo.

Of Course! That would explain why the comms were tuned in to an unknown frequency, and why the engines were sabotaged. There’s a third party. There was a group interested in getting their hands on the imposter DNA, and she was the inside man. They’re gonna steal it by destroying the ship… Blackstone turned when he heard something clatter in the upper engine room. Cherry. Blackstone sprinted out of the security room and towards the upper engine room. At the entrance he crouched and peeked in. Sure enough, Cherry was messing around in the Upper Engine where the panel had been removed. If Cherry were to sabotage the engines the Skeld would be adrift in space, and they’d all die eventually. He needed to stop her.

Blackstone stood up at full height, all 7 feet of him, and voiced his presence. “Stop what you’re doing and put your hands up.” Cherry froze, then turned around slowly. When her eyes landed on Blackstone, she looked him up and down in surprise. “My! What a specimen! I wasn’t expecting to see an imposter while I was here.” Her lips smirked coyly as Blackstone’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t afraid of him. Blackstone took a menacing step closer. “I said put your hands up.” Cherry smiled. “And why should I listen to you? It’s not like you’re gonna kill me.” Blackstone blinked in confusion which earned a chuckle from where Cherry was. “Sure, you’re an imposter, but it’s obvious you’ve grown attached to the crew here. _Especially_ the Captain.” Blackstone’s tendrils twitched at her mentioning the Captain. Anger brewed from deep within him, but he couldn’t begin to guess why he was so angry about what she said. Cherry sidled forward as she kept talking.

“It’s obvious you’d never do anything to lose his trust since he means so _much_ to you.” Blackstone’s eyes narrowed as she continued. “You can’t trust yourself so you choose not to kill or even eat. So, there’s no way you’d bring yourself to kill someone. Like. Me.” Cherry sidled up to Blackstone and began stroking his chest. Blackstone flinched under the touch, and Cherry’s smile grew wider. “It's such a shame the Captain doesn’t know what you really are. I’m sure if you told him he wouldn’t hesitate to kill you. So really you caring for him will be in vain.” Blackstone felt anger rise in him and his tendrils trembled with the urge to kill… But he couldn’t. He _shouldn’t_. Cherry turned and began walking away from Blackstone back over to the opened panel. “It’s such a shame that it’s your fondness of him that will lead to his demise.” Blackstone began growling… _Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Do NOT do it._

Cherry glanced back at him at the sound of a growl and she smirked again. “Oh well…” She said as she turned away again. “He made a pretty shitty Captain anyway – Hgk!” Cherry felt her whole body tense up and looked down to see the sharp tendril that had impaled her through the chest. Blackstone raised Cherry’s limp body off the ground and Cherry grasped at the tendril trying to alleviate the pain coursing through her body. Fear shone in her eyes and Blackstone could smell her terror mingling with the scent of her blood… It was _wonderful_. Blackstone’s voice mixed with a growling tone as he talked “ _No one_ talks shit about _my_ Captain.” Cherry made a choking sound as her body began to spasm slightly. Blackstone threw Cherry’s dying body against the wall. The impact of her body made a dent, and she left a trail of blood on the wall as her body slid down.

Blackstone stalked over to where Cherry lay on the ground in a growing puddle of blood. Blood was seeping out of her mouth as she choked on her own blood and tried to breathe. Blackstone eyed the sight before him. Cherry’s eyes were beginning to look distant. Her arms twitched helplessly beside her. The scent of fresh blood filled his nose and his hunger flared in response. Blackstone tilted his head as a thought came to him. It’s been years since he had a decent meal… _Might as well_ … The mouth on Blackstone's stomach opened to reveal rows of sharp teeth. Within a fraction of a second, his tongue lashed out and skewered Cherry through the head. He lifted up Cherry’s limp body and opened his mouth wide. A resounding crunch filled the room as his teeth chomped through bone…

Blackstone lay down in his room with a stomach full of warm flesh. He sighed as his body relaxed and he felt his body grow tired as he usually does after having a large meal. All four of his eyes closed gently and he had the best sleep he had in a long, long while…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm not entirely used to using AO3 and I have a question. How do you italicize text? There were words in here that were slanted for emphasis and I can't seem to figure out how to do that here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which, the mysterious third party enters the picture!

He really should’ve thought this through…

Blackstone sat with a barely touched mug of fresh coffee on the round table in front of him. Crewmembers sat around the table in various stages of undress. Goldie, and Evergreen were the only ones fully suited up as they continued talking in a panicked manner to the Captain who wore his space suit pants and a form fitting t-shirt that Blackstone noticed himself staring at once or twice. The crew had been awoken early to launch the ship on schedule, then got interrupted by the emergency meeting alarm when Goldie had found blood splattered all over the walls of the upper engine room. Once attendance was taken, it was clear that Cherry was missing, and Mrs. Citrus confirmed the DNA matched what was in Med bay scan records. The tension in the room was thick enough to be cut by a knife and crew members began postulating who or what could’ve caused Cherry’s death.

“It must’ve been an imposter.” Azul spoke up. “That is the only reason to explain why the death was so gruesome.” Rose chimed in. “There wasn’t even a body left! I think someone killed her and threw her body out of the airlock. We can check the security camera footage.” “Well, I don’t think any of us did it…” Lavender spoke up a bit shyly, “None of us had a motive to do it in the first place…right?” Mr. Citrus retorted after taking a swig of orange juice as brightly colored as his suit. “Well, there’s no way to guarantee someone’s innocence based off their motives. I say we have everyone do a med bay scan. That’ll flush the sucker out.” Evergreen pointed an accusing finger at Mr. Citrus. “But you have control over the Med bay scanner. How do we know _you_ aren’t controlling the results to hide the imposter?”

Another wave of panicked overlapping voices ensued, and Blackstone shrank slightly in his seat at the chaotic unease and distrust he had caused among his crewmates. The captain, who was trying to think, raised his voice to get their attention. “Everybody QUIET!” The arguing stopped immediately, and the Captain’s loud yell reverberated through the spacious cafeteria before he spoke up again. “We need to think about this logically. The only two people who were up when no one else was were Goldie and Evergreen. Goldie reported the mess, yes. But Evergreen never set foot in the Upper engine room to begin with.” Captain Henry looked at all the faces of his crew members before sighing. “That pretty much limits our options…” Heads turned and looked at Goldie whose eyes widened. “Wha – Me?! I didn’t do it! I swear!” Goldie’s young voice squeaked.

Guilt twisted into a knot in Blackstone’s chest… He can’t just let them accuse the kid for something he didn’t do. Besides, Goldie was probably the best Engineer in all of MIRA despite his young age. “Guys, stop.” Blackstone spoke up. All heads turned to face him. Captain Henry’s face grew hopeful at hearing his friend speak up. _Stone will know how to solve this problem._ Blackstone sighed and stood up. He hesitated for a few seconds before urging himself to speak. “I… I killed her…” Blackstone glanced about at the confused faces and noticed the worry in John Brown’s eyes before he continued. “I’m the imposter.” Blackstone removed his helmet and allowed his face to shift back to its natural state. Eyes widened as silence blanketed the table. No one spoke for a solid minute. Captain Henry’s gaze looked the most surprised of all.

“I had to stop her!” Blackstone explained as he took off his suit. There was no point in pretending anymore. “Cherry was sabotaging the upper engine and contacting people outside of MIRA. I had run a background check on her, and she was not who she said she was!” Blackstone’s tendrils unfurled from their contorted state and he watched as his crewmates backed away slightly. He raised them defensively which only made them back away further. Henry didn’t move. “Guys please.” Blackstone pleaded. “I’m not here to hurt you, I promise.” Anger began showing in Henry’s expression. Mr. Citrus turned towards the captain. “Captain? Are you…”

“Lock him up…” The Captain said. His voice was barely audible. Mr. Citrus hesitated. “But, Captain…”

“LOCK. HIM. UP!” Henry’s hand was pointing furiously at Blackstone. His whole body was shaking with rage as he gave Mr. Citrus the death stare. Blackstone’s heart ached at the sight of his Captain angry… But there were more important things at hand. Azul and Evergreen grabbed Blackstone’s limbs and forced them into handcuffs as the Captain began to walk away. Blackstone called after him as he was dragged to the cafeteria exit. “Henry, please you have to listen to me! Cherry sabotaged the ship so we could be vulnerable to attack! We’re in _danger!_ ” Captain Henry made no change and Blackstone continued to resist being moved to call after him. “We could be attacked any minute now! You _need_ to prepare for battle, or we’ll all die!”

The crew stared silently after the Captain as he left the room when suddenly a loud explosion shook the entire ship. The crew were thrown off their feet, and Blackstone’s captors unintentionally let him go. The crisis alarm began blaring throughout the entirety of the ship. Captain Henry stormed back in fully suited up to see a crew standing petrified and unsure of what to do. Henry’s eyes met Blackstone’s and he nearly growled as he turned to yell at his crew. “MAN THE BATTLE STATIONS!” The crew scattered as the alarm kept blaring and another large explosion shook the ship. Henry stormed over to where Blackstone stood, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the wall. Blackstone could’ve resisted the whole thing, but he wouldn’t dare resist his captain.

“Who sent you?” Henry demanded with a look that could kill. Guilt continued to bury itself deeper into Blackstone’s chest, and seep though his veins like a poison. He shied away from Henry slightly as a response. “I wasn’t sent I _swear_. All I know is that they hired Cherry to steal the imposter DNA.” Henry’s eyes narrowed and he looked like he was about to say something else but Aquamarine’s voice rang out on the Comms. “Captain! Our shields and engines are disabled, and we’re being boarded by enemy ships that are impaling themselves in the Skeld’s hull!” Henry released Blackstone and replied. “Set all weapons to max power! Reroute all excess power from engines to weapons so that- “

An enemy ship pierced the wall right next to the two. The force of the impact knocked them off their feet. Blackstone stood immediately, and felt a gun pressed against the small of his back. Arms grabbed his tendrils and held them behind his back. He couldn’t move. Henry was forced to his feet by one of the intruders. Their armor made it impossible to identify their species, and the weapons were unlike any the two of them had ever encountered before. _Who were these guys?_ The main intruder that looked like a leader dropped down from the enemy ship opening and stomped over to where Henry was. Blackstone surged forward trying to break free of the enemy’s grasp, but he was still too dazed from the ship’s impact to use all his strength. The leader grabbed Henry by his golden hair and turned his face to stare at the alien armor. Henry grimaced as the leader spoke in perfect English. “Well… if it isn’t the _infamous_ Captain White…”

Blackstone’s anger rose drastically at the sight of the leader harming his captain, so he spoke. “Who are you?” The leader turned, took slow steps over to where Blackstone was being restrained. Then punched him with all his might in the stomach. A web of pain erupted in Blackstone’s abdomen and he doubled over with gasping, ragged coughs. “You will speak when spoken to, you little bloodthirsty freak.” Blackstone continued to cough helplessly as the leader turned back towards the Captain. “I’m pretty sure you know what we’re here for.” Henry stood stoic and narrowed his eyes. “I’m afraid I don’t. Enlighten me.” The leader growled at Captain Henry’s arrogance. He grabbed Henry by the throat and lifted him off the ground. “TELL US WHERE THE SAMPLES ARE!”

Blackstone rose to his feet and rushed the leader. He tackled the leader who dropped henry. Blackstone pinned the leader to the ground and went to attack his head when a staff jabbed into his ribs. Electricity surged through his body and made all his muscles tense up. Blackstone screeched in agony at the voltage and collapsed when contact with the spear was broken. Henry made no move to help Blackstone. He stood there and watched as Blackstone was electrocuted again, and one more time for good measure. The leader stood and let out an aggravated sigh. “I’ll ask one more time. Tell us where the samples are, or we’ll kill your entire crew.”

Henry hesitated and looked among the intruders. The emergency alarm blared overhead, and everyone was shadowed in flashing red lights. Henry’s anger simmered within him, but he kept his composure. Damn his orders, his crew were his top priority. Henry calmly led the enemies to the medical bay and pressed on the secret panel. The panel moved away to reveal the safe. He turned and glared at the intruders on his ship. “You have what you want. Now let. My. Crew. Go.”

The leader gestured to one of the enemies to his left. The enemy raised a gun and pulled the trigger. Henry’s entire body tensed as the familiar sensation of a stun passed through his body. His body collapsed onto the cool ground of the med bay and he could feel his consciousness slipping away. Before he blacked out, he could hear the leader telling orders to the enemies behind him. “Lock them up and take the whole safe. Leave the Skeld to drift….” Despite his best efforts to keep listening, Henry’s hearing distorted as he was involuntarily dragged down into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackstone and the Captain are trapped in a cell together and they begin a well overdue conversation. Idk if this counts as angst, but just incase, you've been warned.

Blackstone awoke to feel his arms restrained. His whole body ached, and it took all of his willpower not to throw up partially digested human flesh all over the floor. The stomach was an imposter’s weakest point despite it also being it’s deadliest. Blackstone’s head felt heavy and it drooped for a few more moments before he gathered enough strength to lift his head to take in his surroundings. His arms were restrained by large metallic cuffs that were attached to the wall by thick bolts. The cell he was in had nothing but cold metallic floors and various restraints along the walls. It seemed one cell could hold up to three people at a time. The only exit was ray shielded which meant that there would be no escaping unless it opened from the outside. _If only there was a vent…_

Blackstone heard movement from across the room. He faced forward to see that he was imprisoned in the same room as his Captain, who was groaning from how much pain he felt. Worry clamped down on Blackstone’s chest and he immediately began looking Henry over to make sure there were no serious injuries. From what he could see, the Captain had been struck by some debris from when the enemy ship crashed through the wall. Aside from that, he seemed to be showing symptoms of a high intensity stun… _ouch…_ Blackstone pulled at the restraints. He knew there was no point in trying, but it was torture for him to see Henry this way. Looking around, Blackstone decided to try and wake up Captain Henry from where he was.

“Psst… Henry.” Blackstone called. Henry was still groaning unintelligible noises and was nowhere near fully conscious. Blackstone looked out of the ray shielded entrance. No guards were coming. He tried again.

“Hey, Henry.”

Henry mumbled but didn’t fully wake up. Blackstone gave an exasperated sigh. “Henry!” This time, the Captain stirred. His head rose and he let out a groan of discomfort before focusing on his surroundings. As his eyes fell on the imposter across the room from him, he averted his eyes. Sadness twitched from somewhere within his chest. He didn’t know why he was sad. He had no reason to be sad, but it was obviously there… Henry kept his gaze at the ground and didn’t say anything. There was nothing he could say to this… _monster…_

Blackstone grew even more worried when Henry averted his eyes. “Henry, are you ok?” His Captain remained silent, and Blackstone called again. “Henry… Henry, are you ok?”

“Shut up…” Henry mumbled. His gaze still faced the floor but Blackstone could still feel the emotion in his gaze from where he was. Blackstone blinked then began talking again. “But we’re trapped, Henry. We need to find a way to get out of here –“

“I said SHUT UP!” Henry yelled. His eyes bore into Blackstone’s large red ones. Blackstone felt an uneasy feeling writhing in his gut and he couldn’t help but shy away from the Captain’s intensity as he kept yelling. “You don’t get to call me by that name anymore!” Blackstone felt like he got punched in the stomach again. His chest hurt and he felt weak all over. Blackstone averted his eyes and his voice trembled as he replied. “…Yes, Captain.”

Henry shook his head in disbelief as he looked at Blackstone’s true form in more detail. “I can’t believe I trusted you… I trusted you for five years… And this is how you repay me? Turn me in to some enemy organization and blame it on a new crewmate all because you want to protect yourself from MIRA?” Blackstone met Henry’s eyes with shock. _He thinks I did all this?..._ Blackstone shook his head and retorted in a pleading voice. “Captain, I told you it was Cherry. If I were working with these people, do you really think they would keep me locked up in a cell with you?” Henry’s expression changed to one of anger for a few moments, then his expression softened as he thoroughly thought about what he just said. There was no way it could’ve been all his fault.

Henry remained silent as Blackstone continued talking in a surprisingly timid voice. “Please, Captain. I already told you my loyalty is to you and your ship alone.” Henry’s chest felt warm at Blackstone’s words but he chased the feeling away. Blackstone was an _imposter._ He couldn’t be trusted. _Don’t fall for it. Not like last time…_ When Henry didn’t respond to Blackstone’s sincere words, Blackstone huffed despite the heartache and began scanning the room again. They had bigger problems than broken trust right now. “Alright fine. You don’t have to trust me. But unless we work together, the both of us, and all of your crew, will be killed.” Henry perked up at the mention of his crew. “My crew? How do you know they’re here, let alone _alive?”_ Blackstone averted his gaze slightly. “…I can hear their heartbeats.” Henry blinked with a deadpan look on his face. _Of course, he can._

Blackstone began looking around the room. There was no sign of a vent anywhere in the room which made escaping a lot more difficult. He glanced outside and noticed there were enemies marching outside. _Guards…_ An idea popped into Blackstone’s head. He began pulling against the arm restraints. The restraints were meant to hold someone with actual limbs. But since he had tendrils…

Blackstone’s tendrils slipped free with a strange ripping sound and he grimaced once he did so. The restraints were tight and his tough skin had been scraped raw. Henry couldn’t help but watch. But then again, that was pretty much all he could do since he was chained to a wall. Blackstone pressed himself into the corner next to the cell entrance and closed his eyes. Henry grew confused. “What are you doing? They can still see you.” Blackstone shushed his trapped captain and closed his eyes again. “I'm concentrating…”

After a few moments, Blackstone’s skin began to change. His skin changed color and his tendrils flattened against the wall. Within moments, Henry’s eyes were unsure what they were looking at and in about a minute, Blackstone had pretty much disappeared completely. Henry’s eyes widened. “You can turn _invisible?!_ What the hell?!” Blackstone did not reply. The air shimmered in the corner and the strange shimmer moved over to the opposite side of the room. So, he wasn’t completely invisible… But it should be enough to trick the guard. Now all they needed to do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter seems short! I'm trying to chunk chapters based off of events and I figured if I grouped the next sequence of events with this one, the chapter would be too long. Expect more soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Blackstone attempt to escape, but the enemies have a trick up their sleeve they were unaware of.

Turns out, the guards were really lax with their rotations because Blackstone and Henry were there for nearly 20 minutes before a guard glanced into their cell. Henry had dozed off in an attempt to try and alleviate the pounding headache that plagued his head. Blackstone hadn’t moved let alone said anything for the entire time so when Henry woke up to the sound of a guard yelling at him through the ray shielded entrance, he played his part perfectly.

Henry looked frantically around the room. Where was Blackstone? How did he escape? Why did he leave him? What will the guard do? Questions were travelling through his head at a hundred miles a minute and the headache he had worked so hard on came back almost instantly in full force. The ray shield warbled as it deactivated, and the guard rushed into the cell searching for the missing prisoner. Without warning, the wall next to Henry moved and struck the guard in the head. Then, a pink tendril lashed out of seemingly nowhere and skewered the guard through the head. Henry turned in surprise and watched as the tongue snaked back into the wall. The wall changed colors rapidly and before he knew it, Henry saw Blackstone panting and leaning against the wall.

“Damn… I thought that guard was never going to come at this point.” Blackstone said out of breath. Henry blinked as his mind tried processing what he just saw. Blackstone straightened himself then marched over to Henry’s restraints. “Alright. Let's get you out of here.” Blackstone ripped the shackles off Henry’s wrists with ease since his were far thinner than the ones Blackstone was restrained with. Henry noticed Blackstone’s sluggish movement and couldn’t help but ask. “What's wrong?” Blackstone gestured to the corner he had been hiding in. “It takes a lot of energy and concentration for an imposter to go invisible. We only ever use it for short periods of time. 20 minutes was _way_ longer of a wait than what I was expecting.”

Henry flipped over the dead guard to search his body. He grabbed the alien phaser that was holstered on their body and found a Key card in their off hand. The two left the cell. And left the guard’s body in the cell in a growing puddle of blood. “Which way to the crew?” Henry asked. Blackstone straightened for a moment. The frills on the back of his head began vibrating at a frequency Henry couldn’t hear, and his pupils dilated slightly at the heightened auditory stimulus. “They’re that way.” Blackstone pointed down the hallway to the right, and the two began cautiously moving down the hallway. The rest of the cells on their floor were empty. Henry and Blackstone got into the lift and took it to the level below. They disembarked cautiously so that they could scan for any guards nearby. To their surprise, there weren’t any.

The cells on this floor were larger and clearly meant to hold multiple people at one time. Blackstone led them down the hallway and stopped at the corner. “They should be at the end of this next hallway.” He whispered. Henry nodded and raised the phaser. The two rounded the corner and were met by a wall of guards. Behind the several guards, the other 9 crew members of the Skeld were huddled together, clearly alive, and all of them were accounted for. The leader walked up behind Blackstone and Henry and began laughing. The two of them retreated to the middle of the hallway, equidistant from both threats… They were trapped.

Henry turned to Blackstone with an angry face. “How did you not know they were positioned here?” Blackstone gave Henry a defensive look. “I couldn’t hear their heartbeats! They have some sort of suit that suppresses their sound. I didn’t know!” The leader spoke up from behind them. “My, you’re more perceptive than you look, Imposter. You’ll definitely be an interesting specimen to sell on the black market.” _Black Market?_ Blackstone thought. If they were interested in selling things, then there could be more parties involved than he had previously thought. However, that means these strange captors are possibly nothing more than an elite band of mercenaries. The leader turned to face Henry, and Blackstone immediately stopped his train of thought. Henry was in danger.

“Oh, Captain! How noble of you to worry about the safety of the crew first! Unfortunately, that makes you very, very predictable.” The leader took a menacing step forward. Blackstone’s frills raised and his tendrils coiled ready to strike. He positioned himself between the leader and his Captain and a guttural growl escaped his body. The leader halted and shook his head. “Keep up that behavior, and I take it out on your crew.” At the leader’s threat, the ray shield of the crewmates’ cell warbled, and Goldie was yanked out of the cell by a guard. Screams and pleas rang out from the other crew members as Goldie was shoved onto his hands and knees with a gun pointed at the back of his head. Goldie trembled from head to toe with tears welling up in his eyes. He didn’t dare move.

Henry and Blackstone glanced at each other, then lowered what little defenses they had. Two guards rushed forward and restrained them again. A taser staff jabbed Henry in the ribs and his body spasmed as lightning arced through his body. Blackstone fought against the _multiple_ guards holding him desperately as Henry collapsed and got tased again. “STOP IT!” Blackstone yelled. “LET HIM GO!” The guard tased Henry on the ground again and Henry cried out in agony. Blackstone’s body trembled from exhaustion. The invisibility was taking its toll. Fear began to build in his chest as he pleaded with a desperate voice. “Please stop! I broke us out, not him! Take me instead!”

The leader held up his hand and the tasing stopped. Blackstone let out a shaky breath as Henry groaned in agony on the ground. The leader smiled and motioned for the guards to take Henry away. Henry’s limp body was dragged by two guards back the way Henry and Blackstone had come, and they were gone within a few moments. The leader walked up to Blackstone who rose up to his full height. Hatred shown in all four of his eyes and the leader liked that. _This is going to be fun…_ The leader snapped his fingers and a taser staff jabbed Blackstone in the ribs. He involuntarily collapsed to the ground. A guard on either side of him grabbed his limbs and began dragging him down a different hallway. Blackstone didn’t resist. His Captain was safe for now… and that’s all that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Blackstone needs a raise. Torture was not part of his job description.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An unconscious Henry revisits an unpleasant memory and wakes up to find his hatred for imposters doesn’t run as deep as he once thought.

_I scratched at a lot of spots on my body but the thick space suit prevented me from properly scratching the itches. My arms felt stiff from the thick material that coated every inch of my body. My Dad held my hand as he led me through the empty spaceship. It was cool to see what my dad did on the space station that orbited the planet, and it was even cooler that he took me to see what it was that he did for a living on the ship._

_I followed obediently while my Dad did a bunch of repairs on the space station. Most of the time he was downloading data and fixing wires and doing technical stuff that I didn’t understand. But that’s okay. It was still cool to see him work even though the downloading took forever. We got to meet the captain though, and he gave me a miniature captain’s hat to me, and I was really happy. His job looked so cool! Getting to explore space for a living? It was the pinnacle of cool!_

_When we left, I told my dad that I wanted to be a captain when I grew up. He told me that was a cool dream and that I would make a great captain. However, as we were going to the communications room, an alarm sounded. We hurried to the cafeteria and I saw a bunch of people in space suits standing around a table. They were talking in hushed tones and I couldn’t tell what they were talking about but something told me it was bad because they were talking in very hushed voices. I noticed the captain wasn’t speaking and when I stared at him, he glanced at me. His eyes scared me for some reason. So I looked away. I didn’t like this part of my visit._

_After the meeting, Dad and I went to the electrical room. The room was dark and I couldn’t see anything. Dad let me hold the flashlight for him so he could reroute power to the reactor. While we were there, I heard a metal grate open and close in the darkness. I turned to see what had caused it, and saw it was the Captain of the ship. I turned to let my dad know. He turned to face the captain and froze. I wasn’t sure why he was making that face and I was scared._

_When I faced the captain again, there was a large mouth full of sharp teeth on his stomach and a deep growl startled me. My dad stood in front of me. I was terrified. The creature’s tongue struck Dad and it stabbed him through the shoulder. Blood sprayed everywhere and splattered on my helmet visor. My dad’s helmet broke as he was slammed against the wall. He turned to me and I could see the fear in his bright blue eyes. “RUN, HENRY!” He screamed. Terrified, I turned and obeyed. I sprinted past the Captain who swiped at me with his arm and kept running. I heard a scream behind me and the doors to electrical shut right after I left the room._

_I ran down the hallways trying to find someone to get help but no one showed up. Tears filled my eyes and I couldn’t see where I was going until I ran into someone’s backside. I fell down and saw that it was another astronaut. I hugged my legs and began crying. The astronaut picked me up and carried me away. No matter how loudly I cried, or how many tears filled my eyes, I could still see the monster killing my father over and over, and hear his screams echoing in my mind…_

Henry jolted awake in a cold sweat on the freezing metallic floor of the holding cell. He shivered violently as his fear began to subside, but only slightly. His mind went over the recent events that had occurred. Blackstone’s secret, the Skeld destroyed, his crew captured… _What a day I’m having…_ He couldn’t help but think to himself. Henry sat up and grimaced at the soreness he felt throughout his body. The taser staff had taken its toll and everything ached immensely. He forced himself to sit up gently, and was met with a sudden headache that hurt so much he felt nauseous. He hugged his knees and let his head hang between his truss of limbs and took deep breaths. Within a few minutes, his head was beginning to clear.

A sound captured Henry’s attention and he looked up to see two guards in front of the ray shielded entrance. Between them was a limp body that Henry didn’t recognize right away. When the door opened and the guards tossed the body in, it hit the ground with a sickening thud. The mass before him was Blackstone. _Oh my god…_ Henry rushed over to Blackstone’s side to get a better look at him. Various cuts and lacerations covered Blackstone’s body and inky black blood was seeping out of the wounds all over the floor. The smell of burnt flesh filled Henry’s nostrils and he noticed the circular burn marks from the taser staff all over Blackstone’s deadweight body. Blackstone’s breathing was ragged, and his body trembled ever so slightly at Henry’s touch and Henry removed his hand for fear of hurting him more.

Henry’s chest tightened with worry and he called out gently. “Stone?... Stone? Are you there?” Blackstone’s body began moving gradually and Henry helped the alien sit up. Blackstone’s face looked paler than usual, and his red eyes were half lidded as he looked Henry over to the best of his ability. Blackstone took a few deep breaths before attempting to speak. “Are…Are you ok?” Henry’s chest tightened more at the question. Why? Why ask him if he was ok when Blackstone was obviously suffering so much? Unsure of what to reply, Henry simply nodded.

Blackstone’s brow relaxed and his shaking, shallow breaths sounded less labored. He lifted a tendril weakly and caressed the side of Henry’s face. Henry couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t process what was happening. Relief shone in Blackstone’s eyes as he looked over Henry’s face and those _beautiful_ blue eyes. “Thank… Thank goodness they didn’t harm you…” Blackstone’s eyes closed gently, and the tendril dropped from the side of Henry’s face. Alarm seized Henry instantly, and he felt around for a pulse. When he couldn’t find one, he pressed his ear against Blackstone’s chest. A light thumping could be heard and when he heard it, Henry released a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. He adjusted himself so that Blackstone was leaning against him instead of the uncomfortable metallic wall, and sighed. His hammering heart felt so loud he thought the guards could hear it from outside the cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried changing styles for the flashback so that it seemed like a kid was telling the story but I feel like it just reads awkward. Does it read awkward? Please let me know so I can redo it if you'd like.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackstone regains consciousness, and Captain Henry realizes he was wrong about his friend. Hugs ensue.

Blackstone woke up groggily and immediately noticed three things. First thing he noticed was that his body was in a _world_ of pain. Second, his wounds were shoddily bandaged with scraps of cloth that looked familiar, but the mind-numbing pain was preventing him from recognizing it. The third thing he noticed was he was engulfed in something warm. Something… comfortable. Blackstone’s tendrils followed the dense heat draping over his midsection and felt fingers. He froze. His tendril followed the appendage back up past his shoulder and sure enough, the source of the heat was none other than his Captain. The Captain had positioned them in the corner of the room and had curled around Blackstone to keep him warm while he slept which was impressive considering Blackstone was over a foot taller than him when in his natural state.

Blackstone’s tendrils made their way back down Henry's arm and he noticed that his skin was covered in strange bumps. Blackstone grew worried. Human skin was usually smooth. Why was Henry’s skin bumpy? Blackstone forced himself to sit up but didn’t get very far. A wall of pain prevented him from moving further, and he couldn’t help but grimace. The Captain heard the noise and awoke almost instantly and immediately began helping Blackstone so that he wouldn’t hurt himself anymore. He looked over his makeshift bandages and the rest of Blackstone’s injuries. Nothing seemed to have gotten worse. Still, it’s best to make sure. “Hey Stone. Are you ok?” Blackstone met the Captain’s eyes and it dawned on him why the fabric was so familiar. Sure enough, the Captain was shirtless before him and the form fitting shirt from before was nowhere to be seen.

Blackstone glanced at the bandages before meeting Henry’s eyes again. “You… bandaged me…” Blackstone noticed Captain Henry shivering slightly despite him trying to hide it. “You’re cold.” Henry waved his hand “Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.” Blackstone shook his head then wrapped his tendrils gently around his Captain. He pulled Henry closer until he was leaning against Blackstone’s chest. “You humans are more sensitive to the cold than we are. It’s unfair for you to give up something vital to your health for me.” Henry was, once again, dazed at his friend’s words. He wanted to move. He _should_ move, but Blackstone was _very_ warm… Henry adjusted slightly and let out a sigh as they both sat against the wall inside the cold cell. Blackstone noticed that the strange bumps on Henry's arm disappeared a few moments after he had embraced him. Silence harmonized with the distant thrum of the Ship’s engines as the two sat there for a moment.

Henry’s chest grew tight as guilt began traveling through his veins. It pooled in his heart and made it ever so slightly harder to breathe. Despite the situation they were in, all he could think about was how he pushed his friend away after discovering his true identity. Parts of him still felt unease with being this close to an imposter… but all he could think of was the seemingly heartbroken look in Blackstone’s eyes when he first accused Blackstone of turning them in. That was no way to treat a friend. He left his _friend_ to get tortured, allowed his _friend_ to take his place and get beaten nearly within an inch of his life… And Blackstone let him willingly. Henry didn’t deserve a friend like him. He didn’t deserve a friend that would sacrifice his life repeatedly for him only to get nothing in return…

Henry opened his mouth but hesitated before he finally spoke. “Stone, I just wanna say… I… I’m sorry.” Blackstone glanced down at his Captain for a moment before returning his gaze to the ray shielded entrance. Henry continued when he didn’t say anything. “I was angry at what you were, not who you were, and I didn’t act how a Captain should in this situation… I never should’ve let you take my place back then.” Henry could feel Blackstone’s posture change and Henry waited for the angry retort or cold remark, but there wasn’t any. Blackstone let out a long sigh and his tendril instinctively began rubbing small circles on Henry’s folded arm as he spoke. “Captain, you had every right to suspect it was me. I mean, I literally _ate_ someone.” Blackstone chuckled, then stifled a wince as he continued “I never should’ve violated your trust the way I did. I had known about your… _irrational_ hatred toward my kind yet I stubbornly waited until after everything went to shit to let you know.”

Henry pulled himself gently out of the alien’s embrace to look his teammate in the eyes. “I’m trying to apologize to you, dammit! Don’t sit there and blame yourself for something _I_ did wrong.” Blackstone shook his head and began looking elsewhere. His frills began vibrating slightly and his eyes narrowed. Henry didn’t notice. “I feel badly for having you go through all of this torture in vain! I mean if it weren’t for you, my crew would probably be dead by now.” Blackstone shushed Henry and kept looking at seemingly nothing in particular. Henry blinked. “I’m genuinely trying to be sincere here! I understand if you don’t forgive me but at least-“

“Captain!” Blackstone interrupted loudly. He held up a tendril and pointed at the cell walls. “I’m listening for something…” Embarrassment coiled in Henry’s gut and he absent mindedly shied away from Blackstone as he kept his mouth shut. Blackstone’s pupils dilated slightly as his frills began vibrating more visibly. He turned to face the wall they were leaning against, then pressed his tendrils against the wall. Despite not having a mouth on his face, Henry could somehow tell Blackstone was smiling. “There's a vent shaft just behind this wall.” He continued to feel around silently for a moment while Henry just watched. “And… I think I can fit inside of it.” Part of Henry began formulating a question to ask Blackstone to figure out how he knew there was a vent, but another part of him stopped himself with the very simple reason that Blackstone was an alien.

Blackstone returned to his original position and continued remaining silent for a moment. He glanced outside the cell at a guard who was down at the end of the hallway, then turned to face Henry. “Captain, I think I have an idea on how to get out of here.” Henry’s eyes grew hopeful, but concern quickly chased it away. “But Stone, you can barely _stand_. Risking this is probably not the best idea.” Blackstone’s expression grew serious and he looked the Captain directly in the eyes as he spoke. “You and the crew are _my_ top priority. What happens to me does not matter right now.” Henry’s frustration appeared out of nowhere, and before he could stop himself, he shouted. “It matters to me, dammit!” Silence passed between the two of them before Henry spoke in a far softer voice. “You’re a part of my crew too, you know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should give a more thorough explanation on how my versions of imposters work. Should I? Please let me know. If you all want a more detailed explanation i can make it a bonus chapter and maybe even draw a picture or something.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackstone is healing slower than anticipated and he convinces Captain Henry to start phase 1 of the new escape attempt. Also, Blackstone is hungry again.

Much to Blackstone’s chagrin, the two made no move to act on the plan they had conceived mainly because he was too hurt to do so. If he wasn’t so malnourished from hiding his imposter self for several years, he probably would’ve healed much faster. Yet here they were on day three of their imprisonment still in the same cell with Blackstone nearly collapsing whenever he stepped the wrong way. Despite his fragile state, he was growing agitated and impatient. They needed to act on this plan now. The destination of the mercenary ship was unknown, and they could arrive within a month, or within a few days. Space travel was weird like that.

Henry was using what little water they had left in the large canteen they were given to treat the burns and cuts all over Blackstone’s body. Blackstone’s tendrils were coiled tightly around each other, and it took him all of his willpower not to wince at the stinging pain from Henry’s attention to his wounds. By now, Henry’s shirt scraps were practically dyed black with how much of Blackstone’s blood they wiped away, absorbed, and came in contact with. Henry was growing worried that the injuries may grow infected if not treated by a doctor within the next few days, but any concern that Blackstone had never once showed. He was very stoic. A trait his captain admired.

While Henry finished cleaning Blackstone’s wounds, the seam on Blackstone’s stomach opened. Henry backed away instinctively at the sight of Blackstone’s mouth full of rows of sharp teeth. The sharp pink tongue began licking the teeth clean and after a few seconds, a large belch emanated from the alien’s mouth that made Henry involuntarily flinch. Blackstone turned sheepishly towards his Captain. “I’m sorry. I understand burping is quite rude among your species, but I can’t help it.” Henry’s childhood memories plagued him with fear, and It took him all of his willpower not to back as far away as possible from Blackstone and his mouth. In spite of his ever-persistent fear, Henry asked “Why haven’t you opened your… _mouth_ until now?” Perhaps learning more about it would make him feel better.

Blackstone’s tongue continued using its sharp tip to scrape bits of food from between his teeth as looked at his captain. “Well, I was still digesting my last meal. The larger the meal, the longer it takes for us to digest it.” Henry blinked. He was obviously confused. “That… doesn’t answer my question.” Blackstone opened his mouth as wide as possible so Henry could see from where he was. “When we eat, our food basically gets stored in our mouth. When we’re full our mouth closes and it becomes our stomach. Since it’s our mouth _and_ our stomach, we need to keep our mouth closed until we’re done digesting. Our digestion process releases a lot of gas which is why we burp whenever we’re ready to eat again.”

Well, shit. Henry didn’t feel any better. He actually felt worse now knowing that Blackstone was hungry again, but he forced himself to not let it show. Blackstone seemed to notice Henry’s unease and shut his mouth completely. “I’ll keep my mouth closed if you’d like… You smell frightened.” Embarrassment began rising in Henry when a certain word Blackstone said registered in his mind. “Hold on.” He retorted, “I _smell_ frightened?” Blackstone shrugged. “I can smell fear. In fact, I can smell all of your emotions somewhat. It’s just that fear is the most potent. It usually increases our prey drive, but only if we’re in the mood to hunt. Besides. You smell better without it.”

Henry’s unease melted away for genuine intrigue, and he slowly got closer to Blackstone until he was well within the alien tongue’s reach. _I can trust him…_ The two sat in silence while Blackstone gingerly stretched his limbs. “This is a good thing, actually.” Henry turned to face his friend and waited for his explanation. Blackstone nodded towards a guard standing at the end of the hallway. “It means I won’t have to worry about sneaking to the nearest airlock to dispose of the first body. Less suspicion.” Henry nodded at Blackstone’s reasoning. That was actually a great idea. He was surprised he didn’t think of it.

Blackstone forced himself to stand. When he didn’t fall over right away, he gingerly tried walking for a bit. He tested his mobility. It was still terribly limited because of his injuries, and the excess of makeshift bandages didn’t help. However, Blackstone was satisfied with his improvement. He turned and faced the back wall of the cell. He glanced at Henry as he spoke. “Well Captain, I think this is the best my health is gonna get. I say we start phase 1.” Henry stood from where he was on the floor. “Stone, I still say we should wait. If something should happen to you, they could kill you and not worry about it.” Blackstone rested a tendril on his Captain’s shoulder. “Captain, as much as I appreciate your sentiment, we need to act now. They don’t value the crew, they value you. This puts your crew in more risk than any of us, and I know how much the crew means to you.”

Henry nodded and remained silent. Blackstone turned his attention back to the wall. His frills began vibrating again as they listened for the sound of the vent that they had heard a few days ago. When Blackstone found what he was looking for, his pupils dilated. The tendrils on his right side coiled around each other slowly and made a sharp tip. He shot Henry a glance. “Watch this.” Blackstone struck the wall with is coiled tendrils faster than Henry could register. A significant dent had appeared in the wall. Blackstone flexed his coiled tendrils. “Damn… that hurt.” He struck the wall again. Then again, and again. On the fifth strike Blackstone’s arm disappeared into the wall and the sound of tearing metal filled the cell. When Blackstone removed his arm, there was a significant hole in the wall and sure enough there was a vent. Blackstone’s frills undulated with pride as he turned towards his Captain. “That’ll be enough for our plan to work.” Henry smiled at the impressive work of his alien companion. “Alright. Lets begin phase 1.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, the next chapter will be a bonus and include some concept sketches of what I think Blackstone looks like. It will take longer than a normal chapter because I have to draw so please don't be upset if there are no more story chapters for today.


	11. BONUS CHAPTER: Imposter Anatomy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, this chapter covers everything there is to know about my version of imposters. I drew these pictures myself so I apologize if the drawing is shitty. Also, if you can't read my handwriting, no worries. I'll go over everything in the pictures in plain text.

So... I don't know how to insert an image into a chapter. However, this does allow me to hyperlink a url. 

That being said, I am going to put my drawings in a google doc and place the link here for you all to view them if you want to. If you all could be so kind as to tell me how to insert an image from my computer into a chapter I would greatly appreciate it.

Images link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kMmebYGu4tMS3aVj-D2xLU3s_9FCblnFA4akvgEfBgg/edit?usp=sharing

Alright. Imposter time!

**ANATOMY:**

Imposters range from 6.5 to 7.5 feet tall in their natural state. Blackstone is considered an average imposter height. All imposters have frills, stomach mouths, tendrils, etc. The only variation between imposters in terms of physical looks are their eye color, body build, height, skin color, and their body markings. 

The slits on either side of Blackstone's face are basically his nostrils. He doesn't have a mouth on his face so he has plenty of room on his head to allow for more air intake. Each "nostril" has it's own trachea and rather than have one respiratory system, Blackstone has two separate ones (basically his lungs aren't connected like ours are). This allows for more stamina, better breathing efficiency, and a smaller chance of drowning or suffocating since if one lung gets compromised, he still has the other one to keep him alive.

The frills on Blackstone's head are used mostly for sensing things. They are highly sensitive to vibration and he can use them to amplify his hearing. They also are sensitive to brain frequencies which allow him to basically be hyper aware of people without them actually having to do anything (which is why Blackstone was suspicious of Cherry when they first met) Aside from being hyper sensitive, they can be used to express his mood. When he's relaxed, the frills tend to spread and make it appear like he has a full head of spiky hair. If he feels threatened, they will pull together into a tight formation that resembles a mohawk so I call it the _battle mohawk_.

As mentioned before, imposters have four eyes. The primary eyes are larger and operate much like human eyes. they can see visible light, and the pupils will change size to adjust to lighting. Imposters have cat like pupils and they can also be used to tell their mood. If Blackstone sees something he wants to chase or if he gets excited, they will dilate drastically. Imposter eyes come in a large variety of colors including yellow, green, blue, orange, red, brown, and purple. The rarest eye color is Brown, and Yellow is the most common eye color. 

For imposters, the secondary eyes are smaller and are usually positioned below the primary ones. These eyes are used whenever it is dark and are the source of their night vision. When in darkness, Imposter's secondary eyes will begin emitting ultraviolet light and will then use the light emitted by their irises to see in the dark. The pupils on these eyes function the same as their primary eyes.

Imposters have a heart that is roughly 1.5x larger than a human heart. Their cardiovascular system is far stronger than ours which is also why their breathing is so efficient. This allows for them to have heightened strength and agility in combat situations. Their blood is black and will change from various shades of black and grey depending on the overall concentration of oxygen within the bloodstream at any given moment. Imposters heal the same way humans do. the only difference is that their healing is usually much faster if an imposter is perfectly healthy. Since Blackstone is malnourished, it takes him longer to heal which is why he is still injured in chapter 10.

Imposters have a diaphragm that is very powerful since it has more air move through more airways (less pressure due to more space means its harder to move air quickly so the diaphragm has to compensate accordingly). Yes, it is possible for an imposter to get hiccups and if they do, it is extremely painful. However, hiccups are also _extremely_ rare among imposters. Some can go their whole lives without ever experiencing them.

So, for me, there was a big scientific problem with the imposter's mouth being on their abdomen and after a lot of theorizing and comparing video game lore to real life organisms I decided on a digestive design that made the most sense to me. First things first, there are no intestines. There is no liver, no bladder, no appendix (etc.) the only part of the digestive system that is there is the stomach. The stomach is large and is surrounded by tiny micro organs that create digestive fluids to fill the stomach. The way an imposter's stomach works is much like a Venus fly trap. When it eats, the Venus fly trap's mouth closes and the resulting sac fills with digestive fluids to digest the food stored in the mouth. Similarly, an imposter's stomach will seal itself off once it's full and fully digest the food inside. The mouth does not open again until the stomach is empty which is how you can tell if an imposter is ready to eat again. The tongue within the stomach is compressed much like a chameleon's so that it can spring out and strike with rapid speed. The tip of the tongue is a sharp serrated bone that allows the tongue to skewer its prey to effectively kill it.

Imposter mouths have multiple rows of teeth. The outer row is sharp and shaped like a bicuspid so that it can both cut meat and crush bone. The middle row of teeth are shaped like cuspids. They are strictly for cutting and are angled inward to hook onto live prey to keep them from escaping. The inner row of teeth are fangs and are also used for hooking prey and tearing through flesh to make it easier to digest. These teeth can be replaced if one is lost, it just takes a bit of time for them to grow back.

Imposter tendrils are made strictly of muscle and operate like a tongue (taste excluded). Their muscle cells grow in a twisting fashion which allows for more tensile strength when lifting heavy objects. Tendrils can wrap around each other to increase the overall strength in an imposter's limb, however doing so decreases it's mobility and overall speed. The tendrils have forked tips for grabbing certain objects which act as Blackstone's fingers in his human form. That being said, imposters only have four "fingers."

**GENDER:**

Imposter gender is quite... tricky. I will add more details for it as the story progresses (wink wink) but basically, gender is not a specification that imposters use or concern themselves with unless they're mating. In fact, gender is not even determined until the mating process. I'll let you all theorize about that for now heh. For now, you can view Blackstone however you like, but keep in mind Henry assumes Blackstone is male.

**SHAPESHIFTING:**

Imposters _can_ Shapeshift. It's just... limited. There are certain things that an Imposter can change. But there is a limit to how much they can change them. For imposters, they can only shapeshift into something that has a similar skeletal structure. So, melting into a puddle isn't something they can do. They also can't shapeshift into something like a worm, snake, or insect since their skeletal structures are so different. That being said, Imposters can basically only shapeshift into creatures like dogs, cats, badgers, bears, otters, humans, etc. Their skeletal structures are all very similar and follow a similar format, so they can shift into them. This is mainly because they can only contort their organs so much. Because of that limitation, they also cannot change into something extremely tiny or extremely large. (So basically if you ask for a dog, you're more likely getting something the size of a Great Dane or larger instead of your typical golden retriever.

**HISTORY:**

That's pretty much all I have on imposters for now. If you're interested in their history, you are welcome to speculate why they are scattered throughout the stars. I will definitely say they are an endangered species and that meeting another of their kind is quite uncommon, but that's pretty much all that I've got in terms of history. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though this is what I think of when talking about Blackstone, that doesn't mean it MUST be what you see. Please feel free to share with me what you envisioned Imposters looked like when you read my story. I would love to get a reader's perspective on how efficient my story is at building characters so i can fine tune my technique in the future.
> 
> ALSO: Please please PLEASE let me know if the link works and tell me how to insert pictures. I'm still getting used to this platform and still need help on certain things.


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry's next escape attempt fails... or does it?
> 
> There's detailed descriptions of torture in this chapter. You've been warned.

Henry sprinted through the labyrinth of ship corridors with two mercenary guards right on his tail. His white boots squeaked as he skidded around the corner desperately trying to escape. He began sprinting for the lift that could take him to his crew. _Almost there…_ A guard rounded the corner from the passageway to his left and Henry got clotheslined by a taser spear. Henry cried out in agony as electricity made his body tense up and he couldn’t help but crumple to the ground. The guard that stopped him grabbed him by the arm and hoisted him up to his feet as the other two guards approached. Henry felt the familiar feeling of cuffs going around his wrists and once again, he was restrained.

The guards marched Henry down the hallway where the mercenary leader waited in front of the cell with the rest of Henry’s crew. Henry glowered at the leader with his eyes full of hate and the leader just smiled before speaking. “I’m surprised you were actually stupid enough to try to escape again. I was quite sure I made this situation perfectly clear for you.” The leader glanced among the guards before asking a question. “Which one of you caught him?” The guard to Henry’s left spoke up in a baritone voice “I did, sir.” The leader gestured to the prisoner the guar held. “Well, since you caught him, what do you say we should do with him?”

The guard was silent for a moment before speaking in a boastful voice. “Well, he’s worth more to us alive, so I say we have our fun with him, then stick him in _their_ cell so he can be reminded of what’s at stake if he acts out again.” The guard gestured towards the cell where the other crewmates were held. The leader pondered this over for a moment. “I like the way you think. Since it’s your idea, why don’t you go and teach him a lesson?” The guard to Henry’s left tensed up slightly and forced a dark eagerness into his voice. “It would be my pleasure… Sir.” Henry stiffened as the two guards on either side of him turned and began dragging him down a hallway he didn’t recognize.

Henry was dragged into a room that was dimly lit. His hands were released from their shackles but immediately were placed into new ones. His hands were now chained to a wall. One chain for each hand. His backside was completely exposed to the guards behind him. From where he was, he could hear the guards talking amongst themselves but Henry couldn’t make out what they were saying. Henry heard the sound of a taser spear activating behind him and Henry braced himself for the arching electricity. When it didn’t come, Henry turned to look over his shoulder.

**_CRACK_ **

A whip snapped just as Henry turned to try and see what the guards were doing, and all vision disappeared from Henry’s left eye. He screamed out of surprise and agony and felt pain surge through his face and pooling at his temples. Henry could feel warm liquid traveling down the side of his face and he could only assume it was blood. The guards behind him howled with laughter and Henry grimaced as his anger began to build. Without warning the taser spear was jabbed against his back. Henry cried out in agony as electricity forced him to arch his back instinctively. The electricity placed all of his nerves on overdrive and the cut on his face felt like someone was jabbing a hot knife into it. _Dear God… Was this what Blackstone had to go through?_ The taser spear was removed and Henry huffed from where he dangled from the arm restraints. The overall weight of his body put strain in his shoulders and sockets, and he let out a groan. _There’s no relief in this place is there?_

The guards took turns whipping and tasing Henry until he couldn’t think straight. Henry’s back was covered in deep gashes and circular burn marks and it took all of his remaining strength just to breathe. When the guards noticed they would no longer get an exciting reaction out of him, his shackles clicked open, and he fell as a crumpled mass onto the floor. Henry forced himself to concentrate as the guards grabbed him by the arms and dragged him. _Don’t focus on anything else. Just remember what you’re here for…_ Henry didn’t keep track of where he was being dragged and it came as a surprise to him when he was suddenly thrown onto a floor. He heard the familiar warble of a ray shield and when he looked up at the entrance, the two guards were gone.

Immediately, Henry heard gasps and hushed panicked responses from behind him. He had a good idea where he was, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. Orange shoes stepped into his field of view and before he knew it, he was face to face with Mr. Citrus. So, he _was_ in his crew’s cell. Mr. Citrus began instructing the crew members to use what they had so they could help their Captain, but Henry couldn’t make out a single thing he said. Flashes of brightly colored suits crossed his path and Henry could feel himself being moved onto something soft. The warmth of the soft fabric beneath him encouraged him to give into his exhaustion. _Maybe I could sleep for a few minutes…_

Henry was jolted awake by the sound of the ray shield lowering. A guard stepped into the cell and the shield activated behind him. The crew members all shied away from the menacing guard as he stomped over to where the Captain was. Orange moved and stood in the Guard’s way. Fear was evident in his shaky voice as he said as demanding as possible. “I won’t let you.” The Guard stopped and gently put a hand on Orange’s shoulder. “Excuse me, please.” Is voice sounded… sad. Orange moved out of the way and the guard approached where Henry was still sitting on the makeshift bed. The guard approached and gently pulled Henry into a hug so as to not disturb the recently bandaged injuries. Blackstone’s voice emanated from the guard’s body and lament was heavily layered in his voice. “Oh Captain, I’m so sorry I had to do that to you. I'm glad I stopped it when I did otherwise they would've begun beating you… Please… Forgive me.” The crew members drew back in surprise. Henry's chest felt a twinge of guilt. _They beat him too?..._ Mr. Citrus squinted at the guard. “…Blackstone?!” The disguised imposter met Mr. Citrus’s eyes and nodded. “Yeah, It’s me.”

Henry grimaced as he tried shifting and both Blackstone and Mr. Citrus went to assist him with the gentlest of touches. “There’s no need to apologize, Stone. It’s all part of the plan.” Azul spoke up from where he sat next to Lavender and Rose. “Plan? What plan?” Henry gestured towards Blackstone with a weak arm. “Stone came up with a plan to get us out of here. It involved me getting into the cell with you guys, so we had to fake me attempting to escape again. Since it was his idea, I’ll let Stone explain the details to you.” Goldie perked up and spoke “So does this mean we can trust him now?” Henry nodded. “Yes. I was… wrong when I accused Blackstone of causing all of this… trouble. I don’t want any of you to ever doubt your trust in him again. Got it?” The crew nodded. Evergreen spoke up from where he was sitting. “Alright, Blackstone. What's your plan?” Blackstone looked amongst the crew as he spoke. “Well, in order for this plan to work, you all need to understand what it means _to be an imposter_ …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing says loyalty like willingly torturing one another...
> 
> (I am so sorry there weren't as many updates today, I had a ton of schoolwork to do and I was SWAMPED with chores! Thankfully, tomorrow is a day off so I should be able to compensate for my lack of material quite nicely)


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackstone is leading phase 2 of the crew's escape plan. Henry is still incapacitated. 
> 
> Mild violence, and mentions of alcoholism. You've been warned.

Pain throbbed rhythmically throughout Blackstone’s body. The pain had gotten worse. His wounds had been worse than Henry’s and they hadn’t been properly treated yet. As the day went on , he found it harder and harder to breathe… _It’s probably just this damn armor suit_ … Blackstone glanced over his shoulder from where he was hiding in the storage room. The dead body of another mercenary was stuffed haphazardly in the trash chute. Blackstone pulled the lever, and the body left the ship through the trash chute airlock with a muffled hiss. He turned to face the two mercenaries behind him. “You guys ready?” The familiar voice of Sonny Goldleaf spoke out of the Mercenary on the left. “Aye, sir! I’m more than ready.” Blackstone looked around cautiously before speaking. “Goldie, I told you not to speak. No offense, but your young voice is a dead giveaway.” Goldie nodded silently. The taller mercenary on the right chuckled and nudged Goldie with his elbow before asking Blackstone a question. “So, what do we do first?”

Blackstone went over the plan with them. “Alright. Goldie, your job is to sabotage the ship’s engines. This is a customized G- Class frigate ship so the engines should be something you’re familiar with. Azul, you’re disabling their weapons. If we leave them defenseless, then everything should go smoothly for when we go to phase 3.” The two crewmates nodded, and Blackstone dismissed them before the trio split up to go their separate ways. Blackstone walked as casually as his injuries would allow and nodded towards two guards who were sitting down and talking about something gun related. The guards grunted in greeting as he passed. Blackstone made his way through the ship and was going towards the electrical room when the Mercenary leader walked up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder. “There you are! The only _competent_ guard on this entire ship!” It took all of Blackstone’s willpower to not cry out in pain at the sudden impact from the leader’s hand.

“Well, how is our bounty doing?” Blackstone hesitated, then remembered the Captain was their bounty. He quickly thought of an answer. “Well, his crew obviously care for him. Last time I went by I saw him with bandages. It doesn’t to seem to do much though. He looks absolutely miserable.” Blackstone forced himself to chuckle and the leader chuckled along with him. “That’s something I like to hear. The Black Market is still about a day’s travel out so he should still be plenty pitiful once we arrive. But then again we could also… _torture him again_.” Blackstone’s heart skipped a beat. _No… Not Again._ He forced a sly smile on his face. “Well sir, as much as I’d _love_ to see his blood spill again, humans are… fragile. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’d die if we so much as _look at him_ the wrong way.” The leader removed his arm from around Blackstone’s shoulders and straightened. “Hmm… I didn’t consider that… He _is_ worth more to us alive… Good call.” The leader marched off and began yelling at the two guards who were loitering down the other hallway. Blackstone let out a sigh of relief. This could be harder than he thought…

Upon reaching electrical, Blackstone noticed there was a mercenary asleep on the floor with an empty glass bottle held loosely in his hand. Drunk apparently. Blackstone looked around the large electrical room. No one else was there. Slowly, he approached the sleeping mercenary. In a swift motion he grabbed the sleeping mercenary’s head and twisted it around. There was a sickening **_crack_** as the mercenary’s neck snapped. The empty bottle rolled out of the dead mercenary’s hand. Blackstone worked quickly and began undressing the mercenary in front of him. He pulled off the clunky armor suit and left the dead Mercenary body on the ground and placed the bottle back into its limp hand. When he left, he shut and locked the doors to electrical behind him. At least this way, they won’t realize the body is a dead one until later.

Blackstone hefted up the armor suit and snuck his way back to the crewmate cell. He arrived just as the guard on duty went on his break. It was technically his shift now. Blackstone approached the cell and unlocked it. Seven of the 9 crewmates looked up at the sound of the ray shield entrance deactivating. Those that didn’t move were Goldie and Azul. They had positioned their clunky space suits to look like they were sleeping so that the other guards on duty would think all of the crewmates were still in the cell. Blackstone tossed the armor suit into the cell before entering himself. “Alright Brown, you’re up next.” John Brown nodded in acknowledgement and began taking off his brown colored space suit.

While Brown did that, Blackstone approached Mrs. Citrus who was checking Henry’s bandages while Mr. Citrus went back to his well needed sleep. “How is he, Mrs. Citrus?” Mrs. Citrus had concern showing heavily in her eyes as she glanced at Blackstone. “He had it rough… His wounds aren’t infected, thank goodness. But he needs stitches for some of these lacerations and it’s making it very difficult to stop the bleeding. I cannot determine the extent of damage on his face. If it’s something serious and requires immediate treatment, we could be looking at permanent loss of vision in his left eye… I’m sorry Blackstone.” Blackstone’s chest tightened with worry as he looked over his bandaged Captain. They needed to hurry… Henry was sleeping on his back to try and prevent more bleeding. His face was wearing a pained expression and Blackstone felt helpless. He wanted to do something… _anything_ to get rid of the pain… but he couldn’t.

Blackstone left the cell with a heavy heart, and a disguised John Brown when two mercenaries approached them. Brown tensed as the mercenaries approached. The shorter of the two mercenaries glanced around to make sure no one was around then spoke. “How is the Captain doing?” Brown relaxed at hearing Goldie’s voice. Blackstone hesitated. “…He’ll survive… Did you all succeed in completing your tasks?” Goldie nodded. Azul spoke up “ I removed the activation chamber out of the machinery and threw it down the trash chute. Unless they have a spare part, they won’t be able to fix them.” Good. Weapons were down, Engines were disabled, and their communications were sabotaged… Time for phase 3. Blackstone turned to John Brown. “I bet this crew is hungry… why don’t you go prepare something for them?” Brown gave a sly smile as he placed the armor helmet on his head… He was going to _enjoy_ this…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something tells me whatever the chef is going to make will pack quite a punch...
> 
> Sorry this Chapter is shorter! i'm tryna chunk chapters in a way that will allow everything to flow smoothly.


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crewmates become the imposters and John the Chef indulges in his secret desire to poison someone.

An emergency meeting was called soon after the four crewmates met in private. Blackstone knew that the leader would suspect the imprisoned crewmates first if anything went wrong on the ship so, he set things up ahead of time. The guard that had been on duty before him was unconscious in their room. That way, the guard wouldn’t show up when Blackstone reported the dead body he had left in electrical. This, along with the carefully positioned empty space suits inside the crewmate’s cell made it seem like only one prisoner was missing… Blackstone. Needless to say, the plan worked perfectly.

“There’s no way for the imposter to get off the ship.” One mercenary said at the meeting. “Even if it took an escape pod, we’re in deep space. That would be suicide.” Another mercenary chimed in. The leader looked among his fellow mercenaries before turning to a disguised Blackstone who stood next to him. “Well, Barok? What are your thoughts?” Blackstone, or… _Barok_ , pondered for a moment. “Well…” Blackstone spoke in Barok’s baritone voice, “We know that the creature probably went missing when our bounty last tried to escape. The fact that none of the crewmembers are missing means that this creature probably gave up on helping them escape and is instead trying to just survive for as long as possible. It’ll probably use us as food for as long as it can until it gets captured or killed. My guess is that it ate the guy in electrical then went to take a form of someone we know.” The other mercenaries all grunted in agreement as they began looking each other up and down with suspicious glares.

The leader Looked around at the crowd of people. Someone was missing. Specifically, one of the guards that had been watching the prisoners. _Hmm… Take the form of someone we know…_ “Where is Corrin?” He demanded. The mercenaries all searched the faces of the room. Corrin wasn’t here. Once again, Blackstone chimed in. “Corrin was the guard on the shift before mine. I saw him walk towards electrical before I took my post.” The other mercenaries all murmured at the new evidence brought forward on who the imposter was, and began talking of ways to kill him once he was found. Azul stifled a laugh from where he stood alongside Goldie. _Half of these guys are idiots…_ The leader held up his hand to silence them. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions. We have no way of knowing who the imposter is for sure unless they reveal themselves. Keep your distance and report anything suspicious.” A mercenary spoke up. “How will the creature try killing us?” The leader thought for a moment. “Well, it needs to eat so poisoning is out of the question. And so is gassing because it needs to breathe. It’ll attack you in some way. So, if you are attacked by anyone and I mean _anyone…_ Kill them.”

The mercenaries spent the rest of the day on edge. No one wanted to be near anyone and felt safest alone which worked perfectly for the disguised crewmates. Blackstone and John immediately went to the kitchen after they were dismissed. Blackstone’s footsteps were heavy as he led the chef towards the mess hall located near the armory of the Mercenary ship. His limbs were shaking, and he felt… hot… and weak… _very_ weak… _I just need some rest…_ He thought to himself. _I’ll be fine._ John noticed Blackstone’s deteriorating resolve and tried helping Blackstone stand, but Blackstone shrugged him off. Blackstone had noticed the mercenaries were never kind to each other. To accept Brown’s kindness would make him seem out of character. Best not to risk getting caught.

The two entered the Kitchen and John Brown grimaced. “What a mess…” The Kitchen was full of unwashed dishes and leftovers piled on the stovetop and counter space. Discarded pieces of trash were strewn all over the floor and there were stains from liquids that neither could even begin to guess what they were made of. Brown looked around. Any food coming out of this kitchen would be unhealthy and taste like absolute shit. He couldn’t bring himself to cook something like that. Brown looked around frantically trying to find something he could prepare… then it hit him. There was a large drink dispenser that had an unfamiliar beverage inside of it. From the looks of things, it was the only edible thing the mercenaries would ever touch on the ship. John beckoned Blackstone over to the large beverage container. Blackstone, getting the idea, opened the bag he had slung over his shoulder. Inside was several bottles full of sedative.

The two worked diligently in absolute silence. Brown rhythmically stirred the contents of the large container while Blackstone poured in bottle after bottle after bottle. When Blackstone popped open the 10th bottle John couldn’t help but glance at him. “Jeez, Stone. How many bottles did you grab?” Blackstone shrugged and poured the bottle in anyway. He didn’t know much about human anatomy and he wasn’t entirely sure what a _sedative_ was. All he knew was that in order for it to take effect, it had to be extremely concentrated. So, he grabbed as many bottles as possible on the ship… all 20 of them. He also grabbed several bottles of what he assumed was an alcoholic beverage of alien origin and dumped them in as well.

John sniffed at their concoction and gagged. “Jesus that’s strong…” He began searching the kitchen for something… _anything_ he was familiar with. When he found a cabinet, he opened it to find one singular object that seemed relatively clean and untouched. John let a sigh of relief as he saw what it was. A container of sugar. John grabbed it and dumped nearly a whole cup of the stuff into the container. After mixing thoroughly, the strong smell subsided, and it actually smelled really good. Which was exactly what they were going for. John turned to Blackstone who was using the counter to help himself stand. “Mission accomplished.” He noticed Blackstone’s shaking and ragged breathing. “…Are you sure you’re ok?” Blackstone nodded. “Don’t worry about me, Brown. I’m probably just tired.” Blackstone straightened himself. After a few deep breaths, the shaking stopped, and the two left the kitchen without being seen. Now all they had to do was sit back, and watch the show unfold…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Blackstone doesn't feel good... At least it won't get worse... Right?
> 
> Also, I've posted another fanfiction story! It's based off a dream I had about Star Trek. Check it out if you want and lemme know what you think!


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The leader figures out that Blackstone is an imposter and the crew have to act on their plan sooner than expected.

The concoction worked better than expected. As the day passed various mercenaries went to go get drinks. It tasted so good, they went to get second and third helpings only to collapse unconscious a few minutes later. One mercenary had walked in with his friend and the two of them got drinks. When his friend passed out after finishing his first serving, the other mercenary scoffed. “Fucking lightweight…” He grabbed another cup and downed it quickly. Immediately after he swallowed the last of his drink, his body swayed and he fell forward stiff as a board. His face smacked against the floor with a resounding thud, and he didn’t move a muscle. All in all, the number of mercenaries were cut in half by the drinks alone in a span of less than 2 hours.

Blackstone was stuck at the leader’s side for the entirety of those 2 hours. The leader was keeping him by his side by continuously asking him questions and giving him trivial tasks to do. Blackstone was sweating profusely within the armor and it took all of his concentration to just put one foot in front of the other. His shaking was getting harder to control and the leader noticed he was trembling. “Barok, you seem a bit under the weather. Are you alright?” Blackstone stifled a grimace. “Of course, sir. Just… a bit tired… that’s all.” The leader hummed in understanding as the two of them entered the mess hall. Guards lay passed out in various places all across the room and there were numerous drinks spilled all over the floor. John Brown, fully disguised, was furiously mopping up the various spills by himself with a mop.

“I’ve heard tell that this new beverage packs quite a punch. Why don’t you try it?” The leader offered, unusually politely. Blackstone grew hesitant. “Thank you for the offer but I’m not thirsty.” The leader’s eyes darkened. “I wasn’t offering, Barok. _Drink the beverage.”_ Blackstone stiffened. “Sir, I don’t think an alcoholic beverage will help me feel better…” The leader’s eyes darkened further, and he took a slow step closer to Blackstone. “Why won’t you take my offer Barok… Or should I say… _Blackstone?”_ John Brown froze from where he stood mopping up floors. Blackstone mustered as much confidence in his voice as possible and asked, “Who the _hell_ is _Blackstone?”_ The leader met Blackstone’s glare and no one talked for a minute. After a long pause, he sighed and the darkness in his stare vanished. “I must’ve suspected the wrong person. Sorry, Barok.” He turned and began to walk away. Blackstone sighed.

Suddenly the leader turned, and faster than Blackstone could register, the leader raised his phaser and pulled the trigger. The blast landed on Blackstone’s shoulder and the force of the blast knocked him backwards onto the table. Blackstone scrambled to duck out of the way as the leader fired again. The blast whizzed past Blackstone’s head and struck the beverage container. Liquid exploded everywhere and the clean floor John Brown worked so hard on was completely covered in the poisoned beverage. He gave a frustrated huff before sprinting out of the cafeteria. Blackstone sprinted past the leader and slid on his soaked boots as he ran out of the cafeteria. The leader chased after him. Blackstone activated the communicator on his wrist. They’ll have to act now. “Azul! Come In!”

Azul and Evergreen were loading weapons into a container inside the armory when Blackstone’s voice rang out of the silence. Azul answered immediately. “Azul and Evergreen here. What’s wrong?” Blackstone ducked as another shot flew past him and struck a pipe on the passageway ceiling. Steam hissed and Blackstone turned to run a different direction. “My cover’s been blown. Start phase 4 now!” Blackstone ended the transmission and continued running for his life. The leader began barking orders into his communicator. The ship’s alarm went off. Just as quickly as the alarm started, it stopped. The power cut out all across the ship and everything was engulfed in darkness. The leader stopped chasing and squinted against the darkness to try and see where the imposter was.

Blackstone’s eyes adjusted almost instantly, and he slipped out of his suit. The leader turned to face the sound of rustling fabric and fired his phaser. The blast illuminated the hallway in a flash of bright green as it traveled by but the imposter was nowhere to be seen. The leader turned slowly in the oppressive darkness listening for any sign of movement. He heard footsteps pitter patter to his left. He fired again. The hallway was empty. He heard a faint hiss directly behind him. The leader turned frantically and fired multiple times. Nothing was there. Dread began slowly constricting around the leader and he couldn’t help but feel scared. He began firing in every direction out of sheer desperation but all the hallways were empty. Frustrated, and scared out of his mind, he yelled to the unforgiving darkness. “WHERE ARE YOU?!”

Blackstone let himself hang down from the ceiling where he was hiding and faced the back of the leader’s head. His tendrils coiled around each other silently and poised ready to strike. The smell of the leader's fear filled his nostrils and Blackstone's body trembled with the urge to kill. Blackstone put his face next to the leader’s ear. “ _Boo.”_ The leader’s scream died in his throat when Blackstone impaled him, and dragged his body into the veil of darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is why you should never play hide and seek with an imposter...
> 
> I am so sorry I've been churning chapters out a lot slower lately. I was having a bit of difficulty figuring out how to transition the story onward for a bit but now I'm back on a roll again! Expect at least one more chapter today! Love ya!


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crew gear up and make the final push to escape the clutches of the mercenary ship.
> 
> Violence, explosions, and such. You've been warned!

Azul and Evergreen sprinted through the temporary darkness with night vision glasses and with crates full of weapons. The emergency power had come online and the red emergency power lights were blinking in a slow cadence. They heard overlapping voices from the hallway ahead of them, so they turned left and took a different route to get to the lift. By the time they got to the floor the crewmate’s cell was on, Goldie was there, crouching at the end of the hall. He waved his fellow crewmates over and they joined him. They peered around the corner to see Sure enough, the Guards had regrouped by the prisoner cell so that no on could break them out. Smart Move. Azul handed Evergreen and Goldie a phaser rifle before grabbing one for himself. “Alright.” He whispered. “We rush them together and we take them.” Evergreen grabbed Azul’s forearm “Are you crazy? We’re outnumbered. They’ll overpower us easily and then we’ll lose the advantage of surprise. What we need is a diversion.”

“Diversion?”

The three of them jumped as Blackstone’s four red eyes stared at them from the shadows of the ceilings above. He dropped to the ground silently, then stuck his hand against the wall to brace himself. It was hard to breathe… And he felt _really_ hot. “I can draw them away from the cell.” He offered. “They won’t be receiving any more orders anytime soon so once we separate them, they should be plenty disoriented.” The three crewmates nodded and just as quickly as Blackstone appeared, he melted into the darkness again. The three peered around the corner. The guards were all huddled together watching for any signs of movement down the hallway. A muffled thumping sound could be heard from above. The guards looked up. Heads tilted upwards as the sound moved closer and closer to their position. When it got directly overhead, the sound stopped. Silence pounded in everyone’s ears for a few moments. None of the guards moved. If they didn’t breathe, nobody ever noticed.

Blackstone tore through the vent and dropped down with a violent roar. He slashed at one guard and sliced at their throat with his clawed tendrils. Blood sprayed everywhere and the guards were too panicked to start shooting until Blackstone had grabbed another guard around the ankle and dragged their screaming body into the darkness. Green blasts illuminated the rest of the hallway after they had disappeared when the guards shot after the imposter, but he was nowhere to be seen. Azul stifled a surprised gasp _Damn, did Blackstone know how to leave an impression…_ From the darkness, the guard’s scream could be heard, followed by Blackstone’s animalistic screech. The guards began scrambling. Weapons at the ready, two thirds of the guards that were originally there began racing after the sound of their screaming companion. The three hiding crewmates looked at each other. It was now or never. The three of them got up and rushed the Hallway. The remaining guards were slow to realize what was happening and three of them were stunned before any of them began firing. Evergreen got shot in the leg and nearly collapsed. Goldie ran to support him, and Azul positioned himself in front of his two mates to lay down cover fire. The last guard was stunned a few moments later, and Azul rushed forward with a key card.

The ray shield warbled as it deactivated and the crewmates inside stood. Evergreen hobbled over to where Mr. and Mrs. Citrus were near the Captain. Mr. Citrus rushed over and began taking care of Evergreen who was grimacing in pain. Henry smiled as he stood slowly. “How was my acting?” Azul smiled “You had them all fooled sir. I heard some of the mercenaries say they thought you were going to die before we even got to the market.” Mrs. Citrus wore a concerned expression on her face. “Captain, I am still against you doing this. Even though your injuries were not as serious as we played them out to be, you’re still gravely injured!” Henry placed a reassuring hand on Mrs. Citrus’s shoulder. “Once this is over, you’re welcome to imprison me in the med bay for as long as you want.” Henry turned and grabbed a phaser rifle from the crates as the crew began arming themselves. Henry turned towards Goldie “Where’s Stone?” Goldie gestured down the darkened hallway. “He used himself as a diversion so we could get you out! We haven’t heard from him since.” Worry gripped Henry all over and a genuinely frustrated look crossed his face. “Damn selfless alien bastard is gonna get himself killed!” Henry activated the phaser rifle and it hummed to life. He turned to his crew who all looked more than ready to leave with their night vision goggles and various weapons. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

**_Shrrrriip!_ **

Blackstone’s chest was heaving from where he stood over the dead guard’s body and he was shaking from head to toe. He dropped the windpipe he had yanked out of the guards throat. His tendrils were drenched in the guard’s blood. _He was too loud anyway…_ Blackstone’s legs threatened to give out as he staggered down the hallway. He leaned against the wall and tried using his tendrils to support himself. _He had to get to the hangar…now._ Sweat was still forming on Blackstone’s brow and it was growing harder and harder for him to see clearly. Blackstone’s frills twitched, then began vibrating. Blackstone heard thundering steps growing louder behind him. The guards were coming. Shots rang out as the guards rounded the corner and Blackstone dove out of the way with a threatening hiss. He shifted his body so he could run on all fours, and began sprinting down the hallway. The guards continued to chase after him. Blackstone leapt up and grabbed the wall. He crawled up and disappeared into a vent shaft in the ceiling. The guards shot at the ventilation shaft several moments after he had crawled in, but it was no use. Blackstone was already gone.

The crewmates traveled as a group throughout the sabotaged mercenary ship. The lift was still operational since emergency power was on and the group took it to the lowest level of the ship decks which is where the Hangar was. The crewmates exited the lift and were met by over a dozen guards blocking them from their means of escape, the B-Class SystemHopper ship in the center of the hangar. The crew scattered and took cover behind large crates that were positioned off to the sides and took turns firing at the guards but it was no use. The guards had them pinned down. Blackstone was nowhere to be seen, and no other help would’ve been coming. How were they going to get out of this? Henry began looking around when all of a sudden something caught his eye. A mercenary began stalking up behind the guards. In his hand was a large bottle with a cloth hanging out of it. The mercenary pulled the helmet off their face and hope filled Henry’s eyes. It was John Brown. Brown gave Henry an acknowledging nod as he lit the cloth on the bottle, then threw it right into the middle of the group of guards. Flames exploded and immediately engulfed the guards standing closest to where the Molotov cocktail had landed and they were disoriented enough that the crewmates could safely advance.

Henry signaled his crewmates onward and they pushed forward. Their shots landed and they blew past the remaining guards with relative ease. The crew raced across the hangar to the SystemHopper and boarded it. Goldie and Lavender raced into the pilot seat and began flipping switches. The engines began roaring to life… But the hangar doors were still closed. _Where was Blackstone?_ As if on cue, a large explosion was heard from the other hangar entrance and Blackstone leapt through the opening. He galloped towards the manual door override and shifted back into his natural form to activate the doors. Once the doors began opening, he grabbed the small kiosk and ripped it from the ground. _That should keep the doors open._

The engines were growing louder, and the guards were growing closer. They had to leave… now. The crewmates all stood near the ramp entrance of the ship yelling at the top of their lungs for Blackstone to hurry. Blackstone began sprinting, but the guards were closing in and he was obviously tired. A well-placed phaser blast struck Blackstone in his back and he collapsed. Without thinking, Henry sprinted down the ramp, rifle in hand, towards his fallen friend. Phaser shots whizzed past Henry from all sides, yet he still pushed forward with no sign of cover nearby. John Brown and Mr. Citrus began laying cover fire for them, but it wasn’t enough. Azul got an idea. “Lavender! Activate the turret and hold the ship steady!” Azul clambered down the ladder and hopped into the turret seat. The guns hummed to life. Azul turned the guns and began firing at the group of guards. Large blasts tore apart the advancing guards and Henry was given enough time to help Blackstone stand. The two raced for the ramp of the ship. As soon as they got on, everyone held onto something. The entrance ramp closed, and Lavender punched the ship full throttle away from the mercenary ship.

Eyes watched the large ship as they gained more and more distance. No ships seemed to follow them. Worry began to melt away at the growing presence of relief. Henry sighed and a smile showed up on his face. Cheers erupted among the crewmates as they began hugging each other with joy. _They made it!_ Blackstone looked at the smiling and cheerful faces of his crewmates and felt relief wash over him as he met Henry’s gaze with his own. His crew were safe. His _captain_ was safe. _He could relax now…_ Blackstone collapsed without warning. Mr. Citrus was the first to react, and immediately turned Blackstone onto his back to look him over. Henry was by his friend’s side mere milliseconds later. Blackstone’s body was spasming uncontrollably and his pupils were going in and out of focus. He was gasping like he couldn’t breathe. “Jesus, he’s burning up.” Mr. Citrus commented before turning Blackstone gently to look at his back. “Holy shit… Mary, get med kit here, _now!_ ” Mrs. Citrus hurried over with the first aid kit and began helping her husband.

Henry was getting eaten alive with worry. “What’s wrong with him?” Neither doctor looked away from what they were doing. “His wounds are infected.” Mr. Citrus stated while cutting off bloodstained pieces of torn fabric. “It’s a miracle he was able to survive this long without proper medical attention.” Guilt sucker punched Henry in the gut. _None of this would’ve happened if I had just…_ “He needs a blood transfusion.” Mrs. Citrus’s voice interrupted his thoughts. _Blood transfusion?_ But there were no other imposters around to give blood. “There is no Imposter blood around.” He said quietly. The crew grew silent. John bowed his head.They all knew what was going to happen.

“Does this have Imposter blood in it?”

Henry turned to where Goldie stood holding a large black box in his hands. Henry’s jaw dropped. It was the imposter sample safe. Henry surged forward and pulled Goldie into a bear hug. “Kid you’re a lifesaver!” Goldie chuckled sheepishly. “I remember seeing some of the mercenaries carrying it off our ship, so I figured it was important…” Henry opened the safe using his passcode. Sure enough, the DNA samples were there. Multiple bags of Imposter blood. Henry handed the bags over to the doctors who looked it over with scrutiny. “This could be a different blood type. If it doesn’t match his blood type he could die.” Henry shrugged helplessly. “Well, it’s the only blood we have…” Mr. Citrus looked the bags over. “Then its, a risk we’ll have to take, Mary. Now let’s get going. We’re on a time crunch as is.” Mrs. Citrus stopped her scrutinizing and continued working on the dying alien before them. Henry could only stand back and watch as worry ate away painfully at Henry’s chest. _For God’s sake Blackstone, Please don’t die…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goldie to the rescue!!!
> 
> Hey guys... I don't really have any other fanfictions besides this one... Would you all be willing to read some of my original works? I have quite a few...


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind, this chapter takes place about a month after the previous one.

Henry awoke to the soft beeps of his alarm clock and sighed… Time for another day of work. Henry sat up slowly and dangled his feet off the side of his bed. His hands absent mindedly rubbed his back and he could feel the various scars that decorated his skin. Henry stood and walked across his quarters to his dresser and examined his face. The scar on the left side of his face seemed less prominent. Maybe there was hope for his face after all. Henry reached for the small red box on his dresser and grabbed a handful of air. _Damn this messed up depth perception…_ He reached for the box again and opened it. He pulled out the small white orb that was inside. He used his fingers to open his left eyelid and slowly inserted it into the empty socket. Once inside, the prosthetic eye came to life, and Henry’s vision was back to normal. He stared at himself in the mirror. They had tried to match his new eye to his original eye color, but his eyes were such a unique shade of blue, that the closest match they had was still several shades off. Henry blinked a few times to ensure the eye was in place properly, then got dressed.

Captain Henry walked down the hallways of the ship past familiar crew members who greeted him pleasantly as he passed. He smiled as he acknowledged them. They were his pride and joy. The best crew in all of MIRA. As Henry walked to the Cafeteria for a mug of coffee, the door of the Med Bay caught his eye. He peered inside. The bed where Blackstone had been treated was still empty. The sheets were cleanly drawn, and the bed was made without even the slightest wrinkle in the sterile sheets… It was haunting. Henry felt tears in his eyes as memories of what happened came flooding back to him. Despite everything that he had gone through, the only thing he saw in his mind was Blackstone... and it felt just as haunting. Henry forced himself to look away from the med bay and continue towards the Cafeteria. John Brown greeted him silently as usual and gave him a pat on the shoulder before returning to preparing breakfast for the crew. Henry took a sip of his warm beverage and wished for the warmth to chase his drowsiness and emotions away. He _was_ the Captain of the ship after all… He had duties to attend to, and a reputation to uphold.

Henry entered the bridge of the ship and saw Lavender and Aquamarine at their stations. Henry greeted them and checked on the ship’s status before returning to his station at Admin. He set his mug down on the counter before walking towards the center of the room to the large table computer. Blackstone’s records had been erased from MIRA archives and Henry’s heart filled with guilt. His gaze traveled over to where Blackstone’s ID card lay next to the card scanner. Never to be used again.

“You know I’ll be back in a few months, right?”

Henry looked up from where he was to see Blackstone leaning against the doorframe of the Admin room. He stood up straight and walked over slowly to where the Captain stood. “Don’t worry, Captain. I can fend for myself. After all I’ve been through with you, the Academy should be easy.” Henry smiled and huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I know, but I still think it’s unfair. You’ve already proved you’re more than capable of being a part of this crew. Besides, I… _we’re_ gonna miss you.” Blackstone pulled Henry into a hug. Henry obliged. "It could've been worse." Blackstone commented. "I could've been executed just for being an imposter if you hadn't testified at my hearing." The two stood there for a few moments and breathed deeply. They felt relief in one another’s presence and the both of them wanted these moments to last just a bit longer…

But a thought made Henry pull away. Blackstone dropped his tendrils obediently even though Henry could tell he didn’t want to. “Hey, Stone?” Blackstone turned and began looking at star charts. “Yes, Captain?” Henry turned to face his friend. “You used to call me by my name all the time. And now even when we’re off duty you just call me… _Captain._ ” Blackstone turned and met Henry’s gaze. A beat of silence passed between them before Henry continued. “Why is that?” Blackstone’s posture seemed stiff as he responded. “Well, Captain, when we were imprisoned, you told me I was not allowed to call you by your name anymore. Since you hadn’t said otherwise, I figured I still hadn’t earned the right to say your name again.”

Henry sighed and shook his head in disbelief. _You loyal son of a bitch…_ An overwhelmingly pleasant warmth filled Henry's heart. For his friend to hold his orders in such high regard… Henry smiled. “Oh, Stone. Of course, you can say my name again! After all you’ve been through to make sure we get out safe, you’ve done way more than plenty to say my name again.” Blackstone’s eyes grew hopeful and his large pupils dilated ever so slightly. “You mean it? I can say your name again?” This time, Henry pulled Blackstone into a hug and as they stood there alone in Admin everything felt… _perfect._ Henry smiled as he felt Blackstone’s body heat through his uniform.

“Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand, that's it! That's the end of the story!
> 
> Thank you so much for the positive support and encouragement you all have given me over these past few days. I had so much fun writing this story for you and can't wait to write more for you all. 
> 
> Even though this story is over, that doesn't mean it has to stop (I did make it a series after all...). I am open to requests as to what kind of other adventures you want our merry band of crewmates to go on. Keep in mind, I do plan on writing more fluff between the Blackstone and the Captain.
> 
> I am also open to suggestions of what other fanfictions I should write since most of my works are completely original stories. However, If you all would like to read my original works, I would be more than happy to post them for you to read!
> 
> Thanks again for all the love you've shown me on this story. I cannot wait to write more for you all in the near future!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first AO3 fic and I would love to know what you think about it. Please feel free to comment down below with any thoughts or opinions. I've been writing for years but majority of my work has been original pieces and I feel it is time to share my writing abilities with the world. I may post some of my original works later, If some of you are interested. If this story is read often, I will try to update as often as possible, but I cannot promise a specific update schedule.


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